Team WRBY
by knives4cash
Summary: "There may have been no victory in strength, but Weiss Schnee begged to differ." -Blake Belladonna Cover art by the incredibly talented PatinFTW.
1. Act One: Episode Fate

**The adventure begins with Volume 1, Episode 8.**

* * *

"You are so childish," Weiss sneered in frustration.

Ruby slowly opened her eyes to find a very golden and equally sharp Deathstalker's stinger frozen in place. Just a few invaluable inches from her face, it was a moment in which the young Ruby Rose found herself completely at a loss for words. Letting out a breath that she did not even realize was being held, she looked to her savior.

"Weiss?" she wondered, surprised to see that it was her recently acquired partner who had saved her head from imminent impalement. Their brief time together had suggested that Weiss would be the last person who would help her, much less save her life.

Ruby wasn't complaining.

"And dimwitted. And hyperactive." With some effort she grunted as she removed Myrtenaster from the ice, launching a few stray chips into the air. Ice generated from dust gleamed with a faint blue, distinguishing it from natural ice. Turning to face Ruby, she finished with equal agitation, "And don't even get me started on your fighting style."

But she did take heed in choosing her words and offered Ruby some common ground, "And I suppose I can be a bit..."

It was Ruby's expression of gritted teeth and puppy-kicked eyes that caused the heiress to be just a tad more real with herself. The girl had made a mistake, nothing deliberate.

_"...difficult,"_ she begrudgingly admitted. "But if we're going to do this," she offered as she leaned in to speak more softly to her teammate. "We're going to have to do this together."

Seeing that Ruby's expression had reached one of thankfulness and recognition, Weiss smiled. "So if you quit trying to show off, I'll be…"

Straightening her back, she paused to find a word that would not completely fracture her pride. But, as the milliseconds passed, Weiss recognized the futility of the matter and chose to cast aside her pride for what she hoped would be a better future.

"Nicer."

Ruby, thankful that the older girl had sought a peaceful resolution, returned the tone. "I'm not trying to show off. I want you to know I can do this," she explained, desperate to show that her intentions were pure. Ruby didn't want to do this alone, and she certainly didn't want to do this with a teammate who didn't like her. Weiss was now her teammate, and she only wanted to get along with the older girl, whose physical beauty and take-charge attitude she couldn't help but admire.

Happy that they had finally reached an understanding, Weiss simply let the girl know, "You're fine." And with her confirmation said, she turned back to the gargantuan mutant that was barely being restrained by her dust powered attack.

Bowing her head, Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. "Normal knees." At last, the future looked bright for her.

Carefully avoiding the creature's claws and equally sharp legs, Weiss found for herself an unarmored and exposed section of the creature's belly. The monster's agitation skyrocketed, as if it somehow knew that the coup de grace was about to be delivered.

"Woah, woah," the tall, dark, and mysterious Blake Belladonna alerted, her usual tone of indifference replaced with concern. "You're not going to do what I think you're going to do."

"Do you have any better ideas?" Weiss asked as she chambered the red dust in her weapon's cylinder. "Killing Grimm is easy if you know where to stab," she attempted to explain with confidence, although the quake in her voice betrayed her. Her heart began to pound against her chest, her palms started to sweat, and her fingertips began to go numb with excitement and fear. "Just because I haven't done it before doesn't mean I can't, um…" she trailed off as she placed her left foot forward. The Deathstalker was very big. And _very _angry.

Blake began to step back. "Right… your funeral," she quickly agreed.

Taking a deep breath, Weiss decided that she'd show Blake that she could do what was necessary. And she totally didn't care about looking cool while doing it. Squeezing the trigger on Myternaster, Weiss unleashed a red glow that consumed the blade. Her signature snowflake appeared beneath her feet, and she launched herself against the creature at point blank range and almost fled the scene out of sheer horror as the creature let out an agonized shriek.

Heart racing and legs trembling, Weiss held fast. With the combined power of her semblance and dust she managed to dig in. She looked away as she pulled the trigger all the way, firing her weapon and setting the immediate portion of the underbelly on fire. The portion directly opposite Weiss's incision blew open with an echoing _splat_, allowing for a good portion of the Grimm's intestines, blood, and other undesirable bits of biology to be fired into the sky.

Ruby gawked at the violent display of force. It was rare for one to witness a Deathstalker being disemboweled. She realized that **_that_ **could have been her if Weiss hadn't avoided the collision with her earlier. Myrtenaster may have looked flimsy, but it would have reduced her to ash.

The Deathstalker, now with a sizable tunnel carved through its body, fell dead at last.

Cringing at the whole ordeal, Weiss pulled her red hot blade out of the corpse and quickly withdrew from the scene as more blood and guts began to spill from the hole, still ablaze. She had set a few trees on fire; she wasn't going to start feeling guilty now about leaving other things in a similar state. All she had to do was keep her food in her stomach, a task that was proving to be more difficult than she had expected. Once the vibrations in her body subsided, and her heart rate calmed, she'd be fine.

"You don't need to kill the beast, just slit its throat," Blake advised to the heiress as she strode past her.

Weiss gave an uninterested grunt in response.

Blake judged that if she approached all of her problems like that, she wouldn't be wearing spotless white for very long.

And so, with the spectacle over and the Grimm's body beginning to wither away into nothingness, Ruby withdrew Crescent Rose and made a quick cut across the Nevermore's feather that had up been holding her down by the cape. As the bulk of it fell to the ground, she took hold of her cape and pulled it up, finally freeing herself. The cape had a sizable hole in its normally uninterrupted, illustrious red; but a few minutes of patchwork would remedy the matter. This wasn't the first time she had played too rough with it.

With her trusty weapon at her side, Ruby managed to repress most of the shock at seeing a Deathstalker just a few feet away from her. Granted, it was as dead as a doorknob and now smoking black as it began the twelve hour process of withering away, but she had never seen one so close before. The creature of Grimm, despite all of its grotesque features, desires to kill, and what currently seemed to be an infinite supply of blood and guts, was oddly fascinating.

Of course, whatever moments of philosophical epiphany that the young Ruby Rose may have experienced were quickly swept aside as Yang ran up to her and threw her arms around her younger sister, pulling her into the air and giving her a proper bear hug.

"I'm so happy you're okay!" she joyfully exclaimed, perfectly content to crush the girl's spine and ironically contradict her words. Family had always been valuable to both girls. The thought of losing her sister was one that the normally fearless Yang Xiao Long preferred not to ponder.

After a few reprimanding words from Yang to Ruby, the two girls soon regrouped with Weiss and Blake; and the four of them were quickly reinforced by Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, a mysteriously calm man with a single strand of pink in his pitch black hair, and a girl with red hair and very pink everything.

They introduced themselves as Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, and the eight engaged in a light conversation.

"Thanks," Ruby murmured to Weiss as the eight of them gathered in front of the chess pieces. "You seem like you're pretty nice," she speculated with an earnest smile.

Ruby deliberately ignored Weiss's actions of using stray leaves to cleanse Myrtenaster of the impure Grimm blood that insisted upon clinging to the blade. Even though she'd just seen much worse, she still considered it to be totally gross.

"I'm sure you have your fits of joy and boundless compassion as well," Weiss offered with a nod and pleasant tone. The girl had her heart in the right place, that much Weiss could see. A good leader with sufficient patience would surely be all that was needed to transform her into a magnificent huntress. And with the way things were going, Weiss was hoping that she could be rewarded with that title. She was a Schnee, after all. They got what they wanted, and no one could stop them.

But her thoughts were interrupted as the Nevermore let loose a savage shriek off in the distance. Weiss held her breath longer than she realized.

Jaune Arc observed with shaking fear, "Um, guys! That thing's circling back. What are we gonna do?"

Weiss had studied for this. She had trained for this. She was ready to fight, claw, and bite for this. So what if her heart was starting to race again. "Look, there's no sense in dilly dallying," she explained as she stepped forward and motioned towards the chess pieces. "Our objective is right in front of us."

"She's right," Ruby recognized. "Our mission is to find an artifact and bring it back to the cliffs. There's no point in fighting these things."

Weiss could not help but feel a sense of pride, and so she gave the younger girl a nod of acknowledgement. Ruby learned quickly, she optimistically observed.

"Run and live?" Jaune asked himself, recognizing the low risk policy that the plan entailed. "That is an idea I can get behind," he reasoned as he and Ruby approached the chess pieces.

Ruby selected the golden knight, and Jaune selected the golden rook.

Neither had any inkling as to what their supposedly inconsequential decision would have on their futures. But their futures were now cast in stone. And there would be no going back for them or anyone else.

"It's time we left," Ren observed as the eight of them carefully monitored the Nevermore's impending attack. An aggressive creature, the Nevermore, much like all Grimm. It was as bold as it was ferocious. The probability of surviving, even with an eight versus one fight, seemed slim to Ren. Killing the beast would require daring and creativity under great stress.

"Right." Ruby motioned for the others to follow. "Let's go!" she exclaimed as she dashed off.

The others quickly followed, but Yang stood her ground.

It was Blake Belladonna who took notice of her partner's actions and stopped. "What is it?" she asked out of concern. Now was not the time, as Weiss had put ever so formally, to dilly dally.

Yang smiled blissfully, watching her younger sister stop for Weiss, who almost eagerly took Ruby's offer of charging ahead side by side. She faltered, ever so briefly, before accepting; and the two went forward together, not waiting for anyone else to follow.

"Nothing," Yang answered before running after the rest of the group. Besides not dying, Yang wanted her sister to make friends, and it looked like there was already a fierce friendship in the making. And Weiss was coming off as the kind of girl who got things done, the right kind of girl for her sister, she reasoned.

Smiling to herself, Blake immediately followed her partner. Yang would make for an excellent teammate, surely.

The group made haste and soon came upon the ancient ruins of some form of structure that had been built to bridge the land with an implausibly deep ravine. Multiple pathways all led up to the skeletal remains of a watchtower. The impending battle ground was positioned before a cliff that towered a few hundred feet above them.

And at the top of the cliff landed the Nevermore. Giving its wings a fluff, the giant bird unleashed another shriek. It was an aged beast, one that had lived long enough to learn the ways of these creatures. What they lacked in size and strength, they made up for in unexplainable power. These eight had trespassed into its domain, and it would surely see to their removal, by lethal force if necessary.

"I hate birds," Blake muttered below her breath as she and Yang grabbed cover behind a massive stone slab that was conveniently placed before the structure.

"That's the spirit, kitty cat," Yang purred with a chuckle as she readied Ember Celica. But as Blake gave her a freezing glare, she asked, _"Whaaat?"_ Patting her partner on the shoulder, she reasoned, "C'mon, we might die in a few minutes! Just go with it!"

Blake remained unamused as she double checked Gambol Shroud. Fresh magazines were ready to go, but her weapon wasn't designed to take down a massive beast. "I'm not a soldier in the Vale Brigade or a marine in the Vacuo Navy, Yang," she muttered as she stared in awe at the creature. "I'm not equipped to kill the big ones," she confessed.

"Well, I have the utmost confidence that you can keep up if we have to run away screaming," Yang assured her, earning another glare. Shaking her head, she decided that her partner would have to learn to lighten up. She was just thankful that they weren't on Dragonia.

The creature shrieked again, sparking a yelp from her. Okay, so maybe Blake wasn't wrong about the situation.

Ruby and Weiss sought similar cover. As Ruby reloaded Crescent Rose, she asked, "Have you ever killed a Nevermore?" There was hope in her voice. Having someone experienced to guide her sounded like a luxury too good to be real.

Weiss carefully unloaded Myrtenaster and emptied out her dust crystals. Placing the partially used sources of power into her back pouch, she reloaded with fresh, whole dust crystals. "No," she admitted with a shake of her head, much to Ruby's discontent.

Peaking out behind her cover, Weiss quickly looked the beast over. "But I have studied them," she revealed. Recalling countless hours of study, she remembered that its vulnerable areas were the neck, stomach, legs, and back. She would target the back, as it was the largest area of mass.

Weiss quickly withdrew her head as the creature let out another shriek, and she observed Yang's yelp. "Extensively. But I don't think we'll be able to exploit a weak area. If we hit it, we'll have to pierce the armor," she finished, looking Ruby dead in the eye.

Ruby gulped. It was becoming quite apparent to her that her teammate had come to Beacon expecting to seize nothing short of absolute victory. Or at the very least, if all else failed, she would most certainly die trying. Ruby was starting to reconsider that offer to work at Signal with her dad.

Jaune and Pyrrha took cover farther up. They exercised more caution and maintained silence. Although, Pyrrha kept an eye on the boy. There was something about him. Granted, he was practically a cliche for teenage boys, but she found herself drawn to him. Maybe it was the fact that he had brought a sword and shield to a gunfight. Stupidity did tend to draw one's attention. But, Pyrrha decided that these thoughts could wait when they weren't in immediate and mortal danger.

Nora and Ren stuck together and waited. For what, they knew not; but Nora gave her friend a reassuring pat on the shoulder. And, despite having a mere pistol in his hand, Ren placed his clenched fist on top. They had been through so much, together. The odds of surviving this? Slim. The odds of surviving this with Nora at his side? Ren decided that they would be fine.

The Nevermore wasted no time in seeking out the trespassers. Taking flight from its position on the North, the mighty beast soared overhead to the South.

A brief, albeit enormous, shadow revealed the bird's plan to the hunters. And they watched in awe as the beast corkscrewed straight up and threw out its wings.

"On cra-" was all Jaune could manage before the eight of them fled from their now exposed pockets of cover and scrambled North towards the ruins.

A storm of feathers struck the ground, but the eight fighters were diligent in their dodging. Although, some were more graceful than others, Jaune noticed as he fell flat on his face, ironically stopping him from running into the razor sharp feather that immediately struck where he would have been, had he not fallen.

A frustrated cry echoed through the air as the creature began to circle around, its next move not yet known to the eight.

"What do we do?!" Yang yelled as they all ran across the dilapidated bridge that connected them to the rest of the ruins.

"We turn the disadvantage into an advantage!" Weiss answered as she quickly analyzed the terrain. No room to maneuver, completely exposed. "It wants us in the open, so we use that against it!"

"A brilliant idea, but how do we execute?!" Blake asked as she and the others exerted themselves in dodging another volley of feathers that came in at a sharper angle.

Weiss took aim at the beast and cycled the cyan dust crystal. "First, we fight back!" She explained as she opened fire, sending a storm of icy streams towards the enemy. It wasn't a complete plan, but it was more than anyone else was offering.

"Good idea!" Pyrrha agreed as she steadied her carbine sights. "Just show the beast that we're not a free meal! Maybe it'll take the hint and leave us!" she offered as she fired.

"Sounds good!" Ruby figured as she started to pelt the bird with her heavy caliber rounds, chambering them with her Crescent Rose's iconic_** schklikt, klikt!**_

"Fine with me!" Yang laughed as she started throwing shotgun punches in the bird's general direction.

The others, excluding Jaune, all followed suit. He awkwardly stabbed his sneaker at the ground as he watched.

Growling to itself, the Nevermore continued circling. The prey was not only evading its attempts at removing them, but they were now attacking it, the one who had called this land home for a lifetime. Dealing with these creatures was a dangerous task, one that older Grimm grew to avoid entirely.

Of course, any further thoughts were forgotten when a pink heart grenade went off in its face. Enacting more drastic measures, the creature took a sharp turn and dove in, expanding its wings in an attempt to simply knock the invaders off of their limited movement space.

_**"DOWN!"**_ Weiss yelled as the bird came in for the strike.

It was at that moment that the extended blades came in handy. Weiss, Blake, Ruby and Jaune all evaded the attack and made precision cuts on the underside of the bird's wings as it came crashing through, toppling over the tower that lay in the center of the ruins. Nora even managed to bring the force of her hammer down in full and clip the very edge of the bird's right wing. Yang threw a punch on the end of the far left wing. The damage was minimal, given the power of the small dust cartridges, but she was Yang Xiao Long, after all.

Needless to say, the creature voiced its unpleasant experience as it flew off.

Switching back to ranged tactics, those who possessed the ability resumed firing on the creature's flank.

"I don't think it's gonna bugger off!" Yang observed as she loaded fresh shells into her weapons. "Anyone got any better plans?!"

As it would happen, plans had been hatched.

Ruby tried to explain, "If we-!"

"Ruby!" Weiss interrupted as she reloaded Myrtenaster. "If we can get you on that thing, can you cut one of its arteries?!"

"What's an arteries?!" Ruby answered her question with a question as she loaded a new mag into Crescent Rose and cycled the bolt action.

_**Schklikt, klikt!**_

"Is it like a science-ery?!" she asked with complete seriousness. To be fair, it was a very intense moment. Ruby would have never asked such an idiotic question, but she was under an immense amount of pressure when Weiss asked her.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Weiss planted her right hand firmly on her face and angrily vented. But, as time was of the essence, she just as quickly removed her hand and instead pointed it towards the massive monster that was coming back for another round.

"Just rocket jump when I tell you to, okay?!" she demanded, having sufficiently simplified her plan. "We'll land on its back and kill it there!"

"Um, sure!" Ruby quickly took her position in the middle of the bridge where Weiss pointed to with Myrtenaster. Aiming Crescent Rose at the ground, she awaited the signal.

"What about us?" Blake asked as she loaded a fresh magazine into Gambol Shroud.

"And what about Ruby?!" Yang demanded, shocked and angry. "If you guys kill it in the air, it'll fall!"

"Blake, your weapon's rope feature!" Weiss answered. "It can support a combined weight of three hundred pounds, yes?! I'll need you to stay on the ground to catch us, and Yang's weapons won't be able to penetrate the armor! It has to be Ruby and me alone!"

Yang wanted to argue, and posed to do so, but she could find no flaw in that logic.

"Of course!" Blake answered, but she made no attempt to hide her worry. "But what if something goes wrong?"

Sparing a precious second to stare Yang and Blake in the eye, she mustered her confidence and suppressed her heart. "Then try to save us." Seeing Yang's unsatisfied grimace, she rolled her eyes and amended, "Save Ruby first if you can only grab one."

Yang felt better about that.

"Here it comes!" Nora alerted them, firing off a grenade and breaking the otherwise tender moment.

"Just keep firing! Make it mad! Draw it in!" Weiss commanded as she resumed her attack.

The beast closed in on them, planning to make another attempt to sweep them off the bridge. Despite its power, it was a creature of simple thoughts and weapons. It was predictable, and that made for an exploitable weakness.

"Okay, Ruby! Get ready!" Weiss warned her as she herself braced for what was to come. Cycling light blue dust, she mentally went over the plan one last time. She quickly wiped the sweat off her palms. "Everyone else, stop firing!"

Silence filled the air for just a few seconds, gunshots quickly fading. In those few seconds, the mighty creature of Grimm closed the distance.

Expanding its wings, the bird shrieked.

Clutching her weapon, Ruby shrieked.

Weiss fired a massive bolt of cyan dust at the Nevermore's face. The beast didn't know what to think when some magical substance instantly solidified into a massive chunk of ice that consumed its entire face.

_**"NOW!"**_ Weiss cried out as she activated her own semblance, forming the iconic snowflake glyph beneath her.

Simultaneously, Crescent Rose went off; and Ruby went up, somersaulting all the way.

Weiss choosing a more direct approach of simply rocketing forward with her semblance.

Blake and Yang watched in awe as Weiss successfully landed on the Nevermore's back, backflipping to her desired spot and promptly used red dust to pierce the monster's hide, digging into the beast like a needle through cloth.

Yang gawked at the sight of Ruby falling back down and using Crescent Rose as an ice axe to anchor herself to the creature's back as it flew past the bridge. Despite the chaos of the moment, she could clearly hear the sickening _**slice** _of the blade cutting through the armor and flesh.

The bird began to fly straight up into the air, desperately switching between its wings to claw at its face. Unable to breathe, the Nevermore failed to react to the enemies on its back.

Ruby, firm in her footing, began discharging rounds to propel herself down the bird's back with Crescent Rose's blade lodged snugly in its flesh. White, chunky shards of armor spewed with splotches of blood as she unzipped its flesh.

Weiss, having already hitched her ride, clung on to the creature's back with her right hand and fired Myrtnaster's remaining red dust, although her grip was clumsy with all of the chaos around her. Still, she was able to make a sizable hole in the creature's back.

The others on the ground, however, failed to see the epicness above. But they did find themselves taking a shower in blood. Obeying orders, Blake stood her ground, despite slowly being drenched. Yang, waiting for her sister, politely joined her. Jaune and Pyrrha found themselves with shields that served as umbrellas.

Whether it was from suffocation, blood loss, or motion sickness, the Nevermore ceased its struggling.

And for just a few brief seconds, as everything came to a standstill, Weiss and Ruby looked to each other. Soaked in blood, the two shared a smile of success. Those smiles quickly vanished when Gravity took over.

Ruby clutched her weapon, as it was the only thing keeping her from falling by herself.

Weiss found Myrtenaster lodged in the Nevermore's flesh, the blade cooled and baked into the charred hole. Every second counted, and that blade wasn't going anywhere. She chose to abandon her weapon.

Free to move, she launched herself at Ruby, who was located several meters downwards from her position. Throwing her remaining upper body strength into a hug, she clung to Ruby as the sudden outside force pulled Ruby, and Crescent Rose, away from the Nevermore.

Ruby returned the hug, albeit with a massive scythe in her grasp and an even greater scream in her lungs.

**_"RUBY!"_** Yang scrambled to the edge of the bridge, prepared save her sister. Perhaps she could act as a cushion for Ruby, even if that ravine was bottomless. At least she wouldn't have to live without her sister.

Before she could heroically sacrifice herself, they fell within range for Blake. Timing her aim, she fired Gambol Shroud up to the two girls as the massive body of the Nevermore fell past her and into the ravine.

The end blade found its way around the two and conveniently tied around them. With Crescent Rose in one hand, Ruby managed to maintain her hold on Weiss as everything they had ever thought, felt, and done came down to that one moment.

Seeing what physics would do _very_ shortly, Yang rushed to Blake and locked her arms around her waist. "Don't let go!" she pleaded to the girl who now held the two lives in her extended hand. Ruby's life was beyond Yang's grasp now; all she could do was trust in Blake.

The others quickly joined in to assist, adding their weight to the impromptu anchor.

Weiss and Ruby fell past Blake, and the rope quickly went taunt.

Blake lurched forward, but she managed to refrain from going over with them, thanks to everyone's added support.

Ruby stopped screaming, and when Death did not take her, she opened her eyes to see eternal blackness with her own rose petals peppered about and slowly descending. For a moment, she was confused.

_"Ahem,"_ Weiss coughed.

Ruby felt her chin resting on someone's shoulder. She appeared to have her arms wrapped around Weiss's platonic, begrudging embrace. Her legs were doing the same thing, and she felt four appendages wrapped around her as well.

The two girls were wrapped around one another quite snuggly.

"Don't let go," a terrified Ruby Rose managed to squeak.

Sighing, Weiss continued to hold Ruby in a deadlock with both arms and legs. It was hardly becoming of a lady, but then again… a dainty, little lady wouldn't be fracturing a Nevermore's spine whilst in flight. "Blake is pulling us up, you kno-"

_**"I SAID DON'T LET GO!"**_ Ruby shrieked as she somehow managed to tighten her already oxygen-depriving embrace. "I think I just semblanced myself," she pathetically whimpered in shame.

It was through this tightened embrace that Weiss heard the damp squeeze. Looking down, she saw that Ruby's backside was drenched in blood. She could only assume that the same fate had been cast for her clothes as well. It would explain why she was sticky and utterly disgusting.

Barely holding in her lunch, Weiss complied. Spitting out the stray rose petal that had spontaneously appeared from Ruby's semblance, she found herself not even caring at that point.

The two were pulled back onto the bridge by the combined efforts and muscles of Blake, Yang, and the other four. Of course, the two girls were locked in a rather intimate position, albeit covered in blood, and it took a few minutes for the others to untangle Gambol Shroud's rope before the girls could be separated.

But even after the lifesaving weapon was removed, Ruby refused to let go of Weiss. The others spent a few additional minutes prying the utterly terrified Ruby off of the slightly less terrified Weiss.

As the two finally parted and got to their feet, Weiss briefly mourned the loss of her precious Myrtenaster, but she took comfort in knowing that it could easily be replaced with an identical, state-of-the-art model. She also mourned for her ruined combat skirt, an article of clothing that Ruby took great pity on, much to Weiss's surprise. But, that too, could be replaced with ease. Weiss chose to congratulate and thank everyone for their assistance.

Yang laughed the whole way through. Then she scolded her sister for such a foolish move, and then scolded Weiss about endangering her sister's life. Then she rejoiced in their survival and was pushed to tears.

And Blake was the one with the unfortunate shoulder that Yang chose to soak completely.

* * *

"Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces," Professor Ozpin declared to the assembled audience as the four stood before him. "From this day forward, you will work together as Team Juniper." he declared as the crowd applauded the proud four.

Nora being Nora, she simply could not contain her joy of working alongside Ren and displayed this honest joy by hugging him. Very strongly. The young man was caught off guard and delayed in hugging back immediately.

"Led by Jaune Arc," Ozpin added with a knowing smirk on his face. "Congratulations, young man," he offered with bemused sincerity. He had great hopes for the boy, but would find himself disappointed soon, and with others later.

Despite the boy's total shock and bewilderment, Pyrrha felt happy for her newly declared leader, and she displayed this happiness by giving him a playful punch to the shoulder. Jaune Arc quickly became familiar with the very fine quality of marble that Beacon used for their floors. Pyrrha would quickly become familiar with her leader's lack of resilience.

And the ceremony quickly drew to its end, with one last team of four remaining.

"Finally, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long."

The four girls stepped up as Team JNPR stepped down. The eyes of the school were upon them, but this was a small crowd for Weiss' tastes.

"The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Ruby," Ozpin announced.

The crowd began to clap, but they quickly realized that the leader could be one of two girls. The now quintessential word "Ruby" could be pronounced with the sound of a sharp "R" or silent "W", and the word would sound the same.

"Led by…" Ozpin paused for dramatic effect. His job, while interesting at times, could be very monotonous, and so he waited just a few more agonizing seconds before revealing the leader.

"Weiss Schnee."

The crowd roared with applause, cheer, and the scattered whistle. Her fame, fortune and beauty was well known, mostly due to Schnee Company's advertising; but many were also fans of her music albums.

"To clarify, that's _Team WRBY_," the professor added with a smirk as he adjusted his glasses. "It looks like this year is going to be a very… _interesting_ year." he commented to himself as all other sounds were consumed by the crowd.

Weiss, out of sheer practice and almost instinct, moved to face the crowd.

And she curtsied.

The crowd exploded with excitement. The real Weiss Schnee was not only sharing the same academy as them, but she was also a leader now. Many held her to be a perfect woman already. Only one other person who had attended Beacon was more famous than Weiss: the kingdom's current queen, _Valens the Fourteenth_. Even then, she had attended forty years ago.

It was at that moment that Weiss realized that it was more likely her celebrity status, not her recent feat of monster slaying, that was winning her applause.

But that did not matter for now. Weiss had suffered many grievances in her brief existence, and she would be sure to not let any of Destiny's grace go to waste. For now, she would drink in her success. And very soon, she would see to the magnificent future that surely awaited her and her newly acquired teammates.

Weiss Schnee had studied for this. She had trained for this. She was ready to fight, claw, and bite for this.

This moment marked the end of her old life. It was her chance to start anew.

This was the day that Weiss Schnee had waited for.

* * *

**A/N: FULL cover art by PatinFTW. Go to DEVIANTART and look at his profile! He's awesome! **


	2. Act One: One Huntress

**The adventure continues with Volume One, Episode 9. **

* * *

The first thing that Weiss Schnee noticed was a different feel to her bed. Cracking her eyes open, she noticed the plain, white ceiling. And then she remembered that it was a school bed she was sleeping on, and that this was a dorm room she was sleeping in. The comfort of slumber was slowly wearing off, and reality was fading into existence. She wasn't in the Schnee Estate, she wasn't in the recording studio, she was in her new home.

Her envelope of warmth finally came unsealed as she forced herself to throw the covers off. A morning person, she simply was not. But if she was going to do this, she begrudgingly decided that she'd have to change that. Weiss grunted as she swung her legs over the right side of her bed. A hot bath would wake her up.

"Goood _**MORNING!**_" Ruby Rose immediately shouted directly in her ear.

**_"GAAAAAAAH!"_ **Weiss Schnee shrieked, no longer in need of sleep. Clutching her heart, she collapsed to the floor. "_**WHAT** _in the world are you doing?!" she shrieked as she scrambled to her feet.

Looking like a puppy that wanted to go outside. Ruby quickly explained, "Now that you're awake, Team WRBY can begin its first official order of business!"

Weiss gawked at the younger girl. The current time was unknown to her, but she was quite sure that any time was too early to be dealing with Ruby. As such, she could only mutter, "Excuse me?"

"Decorating!" Yang immediately answered with absolute giddy. The massive pile of assorted, decorative goods in her arms was a dead giveaway.

"What?" was, again, all the leader could ask.

"You had us unpack our essentials as soon as we were assigned our room," Blake recalled as she heaped up her own suitcase. "But we still have to unpack our other things," she explained with a gentle smile.

The suitcase immediately came undone, spilling its contents all over the floor. "...And clean," she added with reluctance.

"Never again will I be the last one up," Weiss muttered below her breath. Thankfully, her brain was now fully awake, and it reminded her that they had more important tasks to see completed. "Okay, team!" She clapped her hands and making herself the center of attention. "We need to talk!"

Weiss began with a morning strength that no one could have foreseen her possessing. "Today is the day we have waited for. Today is the day we begin our journey to the top. Today is the day we-"

"Decorate?" Yang asked, raising her hand and smiling with hope.

"Turn our beds into bunk beds?!" Ruby practically shrieked with excitement.

_"THAT WOULD BE SUPER AWESOME!"_ Yang totally shrieked as she and her sister jumped with joy.

Weiss glared at the two interlopers for the interruption. "No."

Yang pouted as she slouched, completely demoralized. But, Blake gave her a pat on the shoulder, so it wasn't completely demoralizing after all.

"Bunk beds would be efficient," Blake quietly offered in condolence for the fallen idea.

"Today we start our classes at Beacon," Weiss finally finished with a huff. "And that means no more fooling around," she deliberately explained while glaring at Ruby. If the younger girl didn't shift to suit Weiss' expectations, there was going to be a conflict.

Ruby averted her gaze out of guilt.

Weiss looked expectantly at her teammates. "Who here wants to be the best?" she asked, heartrate picking up as she realized that she was taking charge so quickly, and that they were actually heeding her authority. Weiss had always been the one bowing, now she was the one demanding the bow. It was invigorating for her.

Her cohorts naturally raised their hands, although they did it more so to keep her from throwing a fit.

Weiss observed, "But we only have four years to become the best, so let's not waste a single second!" she declared as she reached under her bed and removed a binder. Opening up its contents, Weiss flipped to the desired page.

"Our first class is at nine," she reminded the team as she looked to the clock. "That give us forty minutes to get ready."

Yang and Ruby sighed in defeat, taking a seat on the bed opposite Weiss's. They somehow knew that this was going to take a while.

Blake chose to stand, very curious as to how Weiss intended to lead.

Weiss didn't plan on being lax about her road to success. "And we have two additional classes at one and four. Luckily, this is the first week, so we probably won't get a full workload."

Ruby and Yang lit up.

Weiss immediately finished, "So that will give us extra time to familiarize ourselves with the school's resources and hone our combat skills." Weiss envisioned team workout sessions where the four girls would assist one another. Her own bony figure needed muscle, so why not make sure the other three help?

Ruby and Yang burned out.

"And since we're going to be spending the next four years here…" Weiss closed the binder and stood up. "Any questions?" she offered, hoping to dash any fears or lay any concerns to rest.

Yang raised her hand. "Can we deco-"

"NO!" Weiss immediately answered. Her frustration with the girl's incessant desire to decorate was absolutely astounding. "As team leader, I order you to stop whining about that!"

Yang grimace, but she held her tongue. She understood the consequences of disobeying a leader's orders. Even if it was a bad order, students were expected to learn discipline. If a bad order resulted in injury or death, things would change for the team in question; but the idea was a solid foundation for hunters and huntresses to learn the lifestyle they'd be expected to live out. Despite this, Yang began to feel that the three of them may have picked the wrong chess pieces.

Sighing, Weiss located her school uniform at the foot of her bed. She took it up in exchange for her binder. "There is nothing wrong with the way things are now." Heading to the bathroom, she stated, "I'm going to quickly shower and change. The same goes for everyone. We'll have breakfast, and then we'll spend the remaining time familiarizing ourselves with the basic layout of the campus."

The bathroom door closed, and the three other girls were left their own devices. Weiss privately did a little jump for joy. Her first day on the job, and she'd already whipped those three into shape. She called that a good start.

Blake began picking up her suitcase's contents. "So much for fun," she muttered with a smirk. Their leader was definitely firm, but she had confidence that Weiss would also be fair. At least, she hoped.

"Stupid ice queen," Yang spat beneath her breath as she placed a reassuring arm around her younger sister. "And we're stuck with her for the next four years, too," she huffed.

"She can be nice," Ruby explained to Yang as she returned the embrace. "I'm sure she'll get used to us and the… um, the environment," she worried as they all heard the shower running.

"If she were mean in a sexy way, I might not mind so much…" Yang trailed off with a daydreamer's grin.

Blake didn't realize Yang was into those kinds of people.

Ruby sighed. Looking up to see Blake's puzzled expression, she answered the unspoken question. "Yes, she'll do that. A lot. She doesn't mean it, though," she clarified as she eyed her sister. "As far as I know…"

Rolling her eyes, Blake chuckled as she placed her suitcase back beneath her bed. This was going to be an interesting four years, if nothing else. And Blake knew from personal experience that a leader wouldn't lead for very long if they didn't at least have the confidence of their underlings.

* * *

The lecture began as the pleasantly plump Professor Port gave information that sounded more like the kind one would give to a TV show audience rather than to a classroom audience, but Weiss took notes regardless of her present knowledge of the world. He gave basic information of their current world status.

Vale was one of two dominant superpowers on the "U" shaped continent of Vytal, with their Western ally Vacuo occupying the left end of their little world. Vale was smaller, and she was hard pressed to survive against Grimm that came the lands to the North as well as the Southern Mountains, a vast range that kept the two powers from connecting via land. Port then went on to propagate the well known fact that Vale churned out the deadliest hunters and huntresses of the world.

Vale's huntresses and hunters formed teams of four that could operate in teams of two, as one full body, or as part of a massive force working in defensive coordinations. They were the strongest landforce known to the world, only rivaled by the superpower that lay across the sea in the East, Atlas. That entity used androids that operated in heavily armored formations.

Vacuo held more territory, as well as Their main threats of Grimm came from the Southern Mountains. That left the sea and air, both of which were occupied by Grimm.

That's where the Vacuo Navy came into play. With their massive fleets, the royal power held off the Grimm that invaded from Dragonia.

Vale didn't have to worry about that. Specifically, Queen Valens the Thirteenth didn't have to worry about that. Vale didn't have a navy, she had access to the sea, but she currently remained on shore where her legendary fighters could carve out a kingdom for the queen to rule.

Ruby soon grew restless. The situation quickly worsened as the professor engaged in a story that held little relevance to Grimm. The girl proceeded to draw a profound doodle mocking the teacher that Yang found amusing.

Weiss, having to sit between the two sisters, chose to firmly place a hand on each of their legs, firmly gripping them to convey her message of "Be quiet or they'll never find your body." Being called out in front of a class was one of the last things that Weiss wanted to be subjected to, and she would personally see to the destruction of her betrayers if that fear were to become a reality. Or at least, that was _totally_ what she'd do if she thought she could actually do that.

The two quickly silenced themselves, as if they somehow sensed Weiss's burning ire. They exercised caution, albeit with great reluctance and discontent.

Blake took note of her leader's ability to lock them down as an interesting feature. It was definitely more of a parental, micromanaging maneuver; but it kept them from disrupting the class.

"The moral of the story?" Professor Port asked rhetorically.

Weiss immediately realized that she had tuned out the entire tale. Desperately grabbing her pen and paper, she could only hope that it wouldn't be on a test.

"A true huntsman must be honorable. A true huntsman must be dependable. A true huntsman must be strategic, well educated, and wise!" he explained with passion. "So, who among you sees themselves to the be embodiment of these traits?" he baited, casually waiting for that one student who would always-

Pen abandoned, Weiss's hand shot into the air without delay. "I do, sir!" she boldly proclaimed.

Professor Port raised an eyebrow with an amused smirk. "Do you now?" he challenged. At the snap of his fingers, another professor, entered with tremendous speed and an equally massive cage.

What Weiss found more peculiar was this professor's green hair and what appeared to be a severe addiction to coffee. Depositing the cage, he made his exit as swiftly as he had entered; so she did not dwell on the matter for very long.

The class didn't have to wait long for the showdown to commence.

Weiss approached, dressed in her combat skirt and brandishing Myrtenaster. She came with overwhelming confidence that she believed was well placed. She had executed a Deathstalker and orchestrated the slaying of a fully grown Nevermore; this was certainly going to be an easy task in comparison. Idly cycling the dust cylinder, she stood ready for the fight to begin.

"Gooo Weiss!" Yang yelled in support. She hoped that the girl would lighten up after a good fight. It worked for Yang, it could work for Weiss.

"Fight well!" Blake added while waving a Team WRBY flag. It was a comical piece of advertisement, if nothing else.

"Yeah! Represent Teeeam WRBY!" Ruby cheered, shooting her arms into the air.

Weiss disregarded the distractions. As team leader, it would surely behoove her to allow her cohorts to advertise her combat prowess. By all the standards of toleration, Ruby was definitely aggravating; but Weiss remembered once more that patience would be the key to her success.

"Let the match… **_BEGIN!_**" Professor Port announced as he cut the lock off of the cage.

The creature of Grimm, a tusked boar, was hideous. Curved tusks and razor sharp teeth shone in the light. Now completely free of its cage, the animal charged towards Weiss.

Timing her strike, she waited just before the Boarbatusk impaled her. Sidestepping the beast as it flew by, Weiss executed a simple, horizontal slash. The creature continued past her, unaffected by her strike.

"Aha!" the professor observed with a smirk. "Wasn't expecting that now, were you?"

Weiss suppressed the urge to tell the fat bloke to shut his piehole. She focused on the followup charge.

The thing had tusks, teeth, and tough armor; that was it. She couldn't penetrate the armor; dust wasn't allowed to be discharged in a classroom. The tusks were equally sharp and wouldn't be coming off. The same went for the teeth.

If she was going to successfully stab the creature, Weiss reasoned that she would need to get the underbelly exposed.

"Hang in there, Weiss!" Ruby obnoxiously yelled, causing Weiss's eye to twitch as she activated her semblance and rocketed forward.

For a creature that was supposed to have animal intelligence, it not only disrupted Weiss's charge, but it managed to catch hold of Myrtenaster with its teeth and tusks, causing the girl to stagger forward and play tug-of-war with the thing. And to her disgust, she was slowly losing.

The professor made some babbling remarks about the situation, and Weiss only managed to make an even greater mess of things when Ruby felt the need to throw in her own advice. "C'mon, Weiss! Show it who's boss!"

Out of overwhelming frustration, Weiss turned her attention away from her enemy with the intent of glaring at the girl. It was a mistake she immediately regretted.

The creature of Grimm, once again exceeding expectations, threw all of its strength into separating its enemy from the weapon.

Myrtenaster landed on the other side of the room with a_** cha-klang**_. Weiss found herself in a similar position as the creature's tusks smashed into her torso.

"Oho! Now what will you do without your weapon?"

Weiss tucked and rolled, missing the creature's charge by inches and inadvertently sending it headfirst into the desks, causing the students on the other side to yelp and panic.

This wasn't supposed to be happening. Weiss had executed a Deathstalker and slain a Nevermore; this was just a classroom demonstration. The creature posed no real threat, otherwise it would have already been killed. Weiss was losing to a creature that wasn't even supposed to be alive. And she absolutely despised it, seeing the spectacle as a great humiliation.

Getting to her feet, Weiss scrambled towards her weapon.

"Weiss!" Ruby shouted again, desperate to help her leader. "Go for its belly! There's no armor underne-"

All of the leader's anger finally boiled over. Ignoring the more obvious threat, Weiss turned her full attention on the insufferable girl who plagued her concentration. "Stop telling me what to _**DO, YOU DUNCE!**_"

Ruby immediately fell silent, greatly saddened. She only wanted to help.

Yang did not appreciate anyone being mean to her sister. Watching the match, she slowly shifted allegiance towards the Boarbatusk.

Blake observed the girls in the stand and the one in the arena. Personal experience had taught her that this could not go on indefinitely. If this tension wasn't resolved, the whole team would fall apart.

The Boarbatusk initiated a very bizarre attack of tucking itself into a ball and rapidly accelerating towards Weiss with all intentions of colliding into her.

This, Weiss would not allow. She had not come this far to die in a classroom; or worse, be saved by Professor Port and publicly humiliated for not being able to kill a pathetic specimen of the Grimm.

And in those last, final seconds, with her entire future at stake, Weiss focused her aura and unleashed a double semblance pattern, a blue snowflake in front of her expelling positive energy to stop the creature dead in its tracks, and a black snowflake above her expelling negative energy. It gave Weiss the upper angle she needed to ram Myrtenaster straight into the beast's stomach.

The beast collided with her blue barrier and fell flat on its back. Weiss launched herself onto her second semblance pattern and used even more of her aura to turn the negative energy into positive energy, turning the glyph cyan blue and allowing herself to be shot forward with Myrtenaster leading the charge.

Her last ditch plan paid off, and her blade found its way into the creature's gut, killing it on the spot. Ruby, Blake, and Yang sat awestruck at their leader's maneuver. One's aura was directly correlated with one's ability to fight, so using that much in one move was beyond risky.

"Bravo! Bra~_**VO!**_" Professor Port congratulated as he stood in satisfaction. "It would appear that we are indeed in the presence of a _true_ huntress in training!"

Gasping for air, Weiss struggled to stand as she pulled Myrtenaster from the filthy creature. Her aura had been severely reduced, and she was starting to experience the common symptoms of exhaustion, light-headedness, and unbalance.

But, despite her current state, Weiss's fury overcame her. Brandishing her blade, she pointed it directly at Ruby. "You will become a magnificent huntress whether you like it or _**NOT!**_"

Weiss' words echoed through the classroom, in turn making Ruby slouch down into her chair. Nobody really knew what to do with themselves. The mood had quickly become awkward.

Ruby wanted to shrink up into nothingness.

Yang scowled. She was just about ready to remove their leader's teeth. How dare she put Ruby on the spot and treat her like a nuisance.

"Class dismissed," Professor Port curtly announced. "Miss Schnee, may I have a word with you?"

Using a handkerchief to dry Myrtenaster, Weiss nodded. "Of course, sir," she gritted before folding the cloth over to use a clean side for her forehead. She didn't want to get into a fight with the man who gave her the grade.

The class filed out far more swiftly than it had come in. Most were smart enough to realize that a heated debate was soon to follow. Ruby hesitated to leave Weiss, despite all that had transpired. She attempted to move towards her leader, but Yang would have none of it, and she pulled Ruby out of the room.

"Professor Port," Weiss began as she sheathed Myrtenaster. "This is about Ruby, isn't it?" The matter seemed quite black and white to her. She saw no reason to have a debate about it.

"Indeed, Miss Schnee." The man sighed with discontent. "I can't help but notice that you are rather harsh to the poor girl," he stated, making no attempt at hiding his disapproval as he crossed his arms.

"Poor girl?!" This, Weiss found absolutely preposterous. "Didn't you see us during yesterday's battle, sir? She helped me kill a Nevermore!" Crossing her own arms, Weiss decided, "She is capable of being a brilliant huntress!"

Port had heard similar words from similar students many times before Weiss spoke them. He knew where it was going, and he knew exactly how to deal with it. "Buuut?"

"But she's so childish! Immature!" Weiss flusteredly growled in frustration, venting her anger. "She's stuck with me for the next four years, and I want her to be the very best she can be. I want her to pull her weight, not drag me down," she spat, feeling sick at the very thought. She was the leader, she needed to take control of the situation.

"And what about Ruby?" Port was confident that this would play out exactly like all of the other times. It was the way of the harsher leaders, after all.

Weiss blinked as she fell silent. She didn't really see the point to that question. A few seconds passed before she asked with uncertainty, "What about Ruby?"

The professor smiled. Things would be just fine for Team WRBY. "Up 'til now, you've only stated what you want. What do you think Ruby wants?" he offered.

Weiss fell silent. "I don't know, sir," she admitted as her gaze fell upon the floor.

"Do you think she wants to spend the next four years being yelled at and being belittled?" he beckoned.

Many dark memories of her childhood tried to claw their way into Weiss's brain. She kept herself in check and reminded herself that being yelled at was something anyone could get used to. But Ruby wouldn't need to.

"No, sir." Weiss shivered ever so slightly. Her father was bad, but the faunus made him what he was to her.

"Precisely." Thanks to his many years of experience, Professor Port offered, "Maybe she would be more inclined to do what you asked if you gave her the confidence and trust that one normally gives to a teammate."

Weiss gawked at the sheer notion. "That girl hasn't earned the bed she sleeps on, much less my trust!" She never thought that a professor of Beacon could lose his marbles, but it seemed like Port's had been shot into space.

"And you aren't a real huntress yet," he reminded her with just a bit of patrony. "But I extended a great amount of trust to you in allowing you to fight with a creature of Grimm within the confines of my own classroom."

Weiss felt the last of her patience vanish. "That was just a pathetic swine! It's not like you had me fight one of Those Who Fell!"

Professor Port fell silent for an uncomfortably long time, signaling to Weiss that she had somehow overstepped. "Miss Schnee, what is one of Those Who Fell?" he curtly inquired, tone stating that she had to answer.

The girl eyed him curiously. She hesitated but replied, "A weak human or faunus taken by Grimm and turned into a hybrid of the two races." Having read up on the matter on her own time, she added, "They are rare; most of the sightings in recent history have been made in the far North, and some speculate they reside in Dragonia." To demonstrate her strength, she confidently finished ,"But they can be killed."

Professor Port took in a sharp breath. "Miss Schnee," he muttered, trying to keep his temper under control. "Those Who Fell are not another animal to be killed. They are a product of the twisted evil that is Grimm, and even though _we_ might not know why it happens, the Grimm certainly have their reasons for committing such an atrocity," he explained with a serious face.

Weiss as taken aback at the man's sudden outburst. She had no inkling that he felt so strongly about the issue. She didn't agree with his opinion, but she kept that to herself.

He politely but firmly stated, "You will show them pity, not disdain."

Weiss disagreed, but she held her tongue.

"Now," he continued as he adjusted his tie. "If being rude and arrogant to your team doesn't work, perhaps it would behoove you to try a more compassionate approach."

Weiss did agree with those words, however. She wanted her team to respect her, not fear her. "What would you have me do?," she asked with skepticism.

Port smiled. Now, things were getting on the right track. "First, you might want to show them that you are serious about gaining their respect. What's something that they want?" he wondered for the both of them, seeing that this one would require a little more pushing.

Weiss paused, and she recalled the morning's conversations. "They want bunk beds," she answered. "I could convert their beds into bunk beds."

Port nodded. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Miss Schnee!" he encouraged, believing her to be serious.

Weiss finally smiled. Perhaps she had over complicated the situation. "I will… be a better teammate and leader," she decided. "I will extend my trust to all three of them. They will help me to be better, and I'll help them to be better," Weiss promised.

"I'll hold you to your word," Port informed her as he patted her shoulder. "Now, I think you have some bunk beds to build?"

* * *

"I'm gonna break her legs," Yang growled as she, Blake, and Ruby left their leader behind and headed down the hallway.

"Yang, you're hurting me," Ruby whined as she struggled to pull away from Yang's grasp.

"Ack, sorry!" Yang immediately let go of her sister and pulled her into a hug. "I won't let that brat boss any of us around, don't worry."

It was Blake who offered a more peaceful solution. "It would be wiser for us to appeal to-"

"Professor Ozpin!" Yang and Ruby shouted simultaneously as the man with his cane came strolling around the corner.

"Team WRBY," Ozpin greeted them with a bow. "I see that the three of you are in good health, but where is your leader?" he wondered, not seeing the famous Weiss Schnee with them like he had expected.

Yang scowled. Ruby looked down at the ground. Blake remained discontent.

"Ah." Ozpin sipped his coffee. "I take it she's getting on your nerves?" he theorized.

"I'm just warning you, sir," Yang courteously notified him. "If she winds up with broken legs, it's because she earned them." Yang wasn't going to let this bullying stand for much longer, and if Weiss kept trying to push them, she wouldn't be standing either.

Ozpin smirked. "I'm sure of that, but I doubt things will boil over so violently."

"What makes you say that?" Blake asked with genuine curiosity. Weiss seemed to be digging herself into a rather deep grave.

"Port and I have been doing this for quite a while now, Miss Belladonna." Ozpin paused to take another sip of his coffee, before he explained, "He has to talk to students from time to time about proper leadership."

"Sir," Ruby spoke up, instantly drawing everyone else's attention. Ruby wavered before continuing, "Weiss seems like she knows what she's doing, but she's being kind of…"

Ruby hated to speak ill of people, but it was at this moment that she could find no other options. Honesty was what she needed right now.

"_Mean_," she finished with disdain.

"But there must be a peaceful solution to this disruption," Blake offered with reassurance. She had suffered enough strife before Beacon. She didn't want a repeat of the past.

"If I know Port's plan, he's probably asking her what you want." Ozpin revealed to the team, "You'll find Weiss in a more compassionate mood, and I recommend that the three of you accept your leader's new attitude with open arms."

Yang grimaced. "Will it be that easy, sir?"

Ozpin shook his head. "No, it will not, Miss Long. Miss Schnee will have to work hard to lead the three of you, and the three of you will have to work hard at following her."

The three looked downtrodden.

"But if the four of you agree to work together," Ozpin began as he smiled with understanding. "I am confident that the four of you will-"

Glynda Goodwitch rounded the corner with haste and urgently approached her cohort. "Oz, there's been a development."

"You're sure?" Ozpin turned around and quickly gave the woman his coffee in exchange for her Scroll. Quickly scanning through whatever was on the screen, he groaned. "This is true?"

Grimacing, Glynda nodded with a heavy heart. "The rest of Team CFVY is sure of it. They even went back and scouted again," she muttered.

The three girls looked to one another with concern.

Ozpin sighed. "Very well." Turning back to the girls, he curtly offered an apology. "I have important matters to content with, ladies. But I still advise you to accept whatever Weiss offers to you with open arms."

With that, Ozpin and Glynda quickly left the scene, leaving the three to return to their dorm.

* * *

Ruby, Blake, and Yang entered their room to find a most peculiar sight.

The beds were in complete disarray. The blankets had been thrown into a corner, and the mattresses were unceremoniously left at their side. The wooden frames were stacked in the middle, and Weiss Schnee was in the very center of the chaos.

A hammer and screwdriver were in her hands. Upside down.

"Oh," was all Weiss muttered as she realized that her team had walked in on her. Placing the tools on the ground, she started collecting the contents of a dropped nail box. "Watch your step," she warned as she continued working.

"Weiss?" Ruby cautiously asked as she began to pick up nails that had found their way to the edges of their room. "What are you doing?"

"...Interior decorating," she answered as she continued to collect the dropped contents. "If you get any of these stuck in your boots, you'll lose traction in the soles," she advised.

"More like interior desecrating!" Yang corrected with a smug grin and offered Blake a fistbump.

Rolling her eyes, Blake bumped the girl back, much to Yang's joy.

"Fine," Weiss sighed in defeat. Looking her team in the eye, she honestly proclaimed, "I screwed up. I was unnecessarily forceful to you, Ruby."

Ruby returned Weiss's gaze. "Okay?" She wasn't sure what Professor Port could have possibly said to her, but whatever he said… it was working.

"No, it's not okay." Weiss finished dropping the nails back into their box and plopped down on the floor. "I'm the leader; I should be able to lead without sacrificing the respect of my team." Head in her hands, she groaned in frustration, "I screwed up."

"And destroying our room will fix your mistake… how, exactly?" Yang asked as she picked up some crumpled papers that held equations of weight distribution. Oddly advanced, in her opinion.

"You three wanted bunk beds," Weiss reminded them. "And to be completely honest, I always wanted bunk beds as a kid." It was more so that she could have someone to have fun with, but they didn't need to know that.

"I'm going to be the best leader you three will ever have," she boldly proclaimed as she took up her tools. Still upside down. "And I'm starting with the bunk beds!"

Blake and Yang were at a loss for words. In a matter of hours, Weiss had been shown the flaws in her ideology, and she had chosen to correct them for the sake of those whom she was to lead. It was a very selfless act of honor and respect; and Blake was especially drawn the the girl's humility.

"Aaaw!" Ruby quickly dropped the nails back into their box. Kneeling beside her leader, Ruby threw her arms around the older girl. "You really DO care!"

Weiss set her tools down and returned the hug, even though she wasn't one for physical contact. In the past, it had usually been a strike made out of anger. But now, it was a hug given out of compassion.

Compassion. It was something that Weiss would have to get used to. Both giving and receiving it would require an effort to be made on her part. And, as team leader, Weiss Schnee vowed that she would make that effort.

But first, she had to build some bunk beds, and her team eagerly set about in helping her.

In the final years of her life, Blake Belladonna herself would eagerly recall the pivotal moment of her history and the time that followed after it.

* * *

_"True to her word, Weiss wasted no time in proving herself. She exercised compassion, rather than complaint; although, it was still difficult to do so with Ruby. Yang and I were easily won over by her new attitude, but Ruby still struggled to follow Weiss's leadership. Luckily, our leader quickly found a solution._

_"She realized that Ruby was far more concerned with the welfare of her teammates, rather than herself. I remember the day that changed. When Ruby broke Beacon's rule by eating in class, Weiss ordered all of Team WRBY to withdraw our lunches and deliberately feast in the middle of the lecture, much to Ruby's protest that we would be punished. But Weiss ignored her, and the three of us joined in the meal. Despite attitudes and appearances, Weiss could burp with the best of them._

_"As the four of us were sent to detention, Weiss explained to Ruby that if one of us succeeded, all of us would be there to share the success; and if one of us failed, then we would all still be there to share the failure._

_"Ruby didn't step out of line after that. Her impulsive nature was soon replaced with one of respect, care and diligence. But she retained her charisma and vitality, which we all gladly welcomed. Over time, that changed; but for the beginning she was the same Ruby Yang had helped raise._

_"So with all three of us willingly following Weiss for the time being, she focused next on the task of balancing study hours with training hours. It took a few weeks, but she finally found the most efficient regiment for us to study, work, train, and rest. It took only one day for her to realize that she needed to add "fun" into the mix; but when she did, she did so with great speed. I am still rather amused at how we not only accepted the brutal schedule, but we learned to love it. Yang's favorite part was sparing and exercising, although Weiss was very enthusiastic about that too. Ruby enjoyed being with Weiss in general, and I just learned to appreciate the free room and board._

_"And the weeks flew by. We honed our skills on the battlefield and in the classroom. Weiss studied our weapons and styles of combat extensively, and she used our own input to forge many techniques. We practiced a multitude of strategies that involved all of us, one of us, two of us, and three of us. We even learned our way around each other's weapons. I still recall nearly dislocating my arm with Yang's gauntlets. And Yang nearly took her own head off with Gambol Shroud. Ruby almost cut off her own hands several times, and Weiss had to build up some muscle to wield Crescent Rose properly._

_"But it all paid off. When we went out for live action, we easily outshone the other teams; and we did the same within the classroom. That caused some tensions with a few teams, but we were the academy favorite for the most part. I even stumbled upon a few literary works based on us._

_"Weiss became so proud of us that she had a Team Standard crafted and delivered to our dorm. It was a snowflake, one that resembled her own semblance, but it displayed the colors of white, red, black, and yellow; rather than the ice blue that I normally saw. It was crafted to the end of a retractable pole that, when extended to its greatest height, towered some feet above us. I never did measure it, even though I had years to do it._

_"Weiss was especially proud of Ruby, who had to work the hardest to achieve her greatness; so much so, that Weiss gave Ruby the substantially heavy honor of carrying the thing whenever we marched together. Whether it was on campus or in town, we walked together; and Ruby carried the standard. I thought she would have a problem carrying it, but Ruby proved to be stronger than I had expected. If she had a challenge carrying it, which I certainly did, then she hid it well._

_"Weiss was, if nothing else, determined. Determined to be the best for her own self-improvement during the early years, determined to make a name for herself during our rise, and determined to make the world see things her way at the end of her life. Despite what my actions might suggest, I always admired that determination. She used it to win the day."_


	3. Act One: Black and Fight

**The adventure continues with Volume 1, Episode 16.**

* * *

The apartment complexes of downtown Vale were covered in banners that welcomed all to the Northeastern superpower of Vytal. Balloons of red, yellow, and green were tied to every lamppost and blew in the gentle breeze summer breeze. Flags of the same colors were draped above the streets at identical intervals. Unimportant people bustled to and fro the shops that offered refreshments and souvenirs of all kinds.

Even in such a peaceful setting, Team WRBY walked ready for anything. It was second nature for them at this point. Weiss led in front with Myrtenaster at her side. Blake, having been made second-in-command of the team, walked behind on Weiss's left side, the point of honor. Yang brought up her leader's right side, or as she liked to call it: "The second point of honor."

And Ruby Rose, the one who had worked the hardest to earn her spot on the team, walked directly behind her leader and carried the Team's newly manufactured Standard, an object that symbolized Weiss's pride for her team.

It was a snowflake, one identical to Weiss's semblance; but it bore the colors of white, red, black, and yellow instead of the iconic cyan. Extended to its maximum, the Standard towered several feet above them, making it quite a task to wield the heavy advertisement. She'd had trouble initially, but she and Weiss had put on a few extra pounds of muscle over the weeks; carrying it wasn't an issue for her anymore.

"Ah, the Vytal Festival!" Weiss practically squealed with glee. As her three cohorts followed her down the street, she joyfully proclaimed, "This is absolutely wonderful!"

Yang was not nearly as amused. "And yet, we're on our way to the smelly docks," she commented as she squirmed at the smell of fish.

That gentle breeze blew in from said docks, making Ruby balk at the odor. _"Ble~agh,"_ she commented as she stuck out her tongue. The standard took two hands to wield, forcing her to hold her breath.

"Then we'll just have to trust our leader," Blake offered with a smirk. She was rather fond of fish. Taking a wistful whiff, she sighed with content as they continued their stroll. The docks never bothered her, anyway.

"As your team leader, it is my responsibility to ensure that the three of you are given the greatest chance at succeeding," Weiss quickly explained as the walked alongside the harbor. "So we'll familiarize ourselves with the people we'll be getting to know for the upcoming festival."

Their first semester was almost over, and they had a final exam to take first. Once that was completed, the Vytal Festival's arena championship would begin. All of the participating hunters and huntresses would compete with and against each other until only one team and one person from that team, were crowned victorious.

Blake found her leader to be a bad liar. "We're spying on the competition," she clarified for the two confused sisters.

Throwing her hair back, Weiss continued to walk. "Don't be so vulgar, Blake," she scoffed in a vain attempt at discouraging the spread of truth.

"Woah." Ruby stopped walking, causing the others to look down the street and take in the sight of a crime scene. Breaking their diamond formation, Ruby indulged her curiosity and approached the two police officers at the scene.

"What happened here?" she asked as she rested the bottom of the Standard's pole on the ground.

Snorting, the bearded officer took in the sight of a small girl holding a giant, multi-colored snowflake on a stick. "Robbery," he answered. "Second dust shop to be hit this week." Before turning back to the scene, he nervously requested, "Watch where ya swing dat thing, ma'am."

Frowning, Yang remarked, "That's terrible."

"Dey left all da mon~ay 'n lien!" the second officer stated as he clutched his suspenders, looking very discontent with the situation.

"Just doesn't make a lick 'a sense," the first agreed. "Who needs dat much dust, y'know what I mean? You thinkin' the White Fang?" he consulted with his partner, suspecting them as was usually the case.

Taking off his sunglasses, the second went off on his own tangent. "Yeah, I'm thinkin' we don't get paid enough."

Scoffing, Weiss crossed her arms. "What an awful bunch of degenerates," she remarked as she held her head up in superiority.

"What's your problem?" Blake asked with a frown. Her leader's superiority complex had become clear when they began to bond, but Weiss had always kept it to herself.

"I simply don't care for the criminally insane," Weiss curtly answered as she turned to face her second-in-command. Blake's attitude was not unusual. Weiss put up with those who disagreed; but she didn't want someone so close to her to be a threat.

Blake cautiously objected, "They're just a group of misguided faunus."

"Misguided?!" Weiss practically gawked at the ludicracy. "They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet!"

"So then they're _very_ misguided," Blake reluctantly conceded. "A bad person can do good things, and a good person can do bad things," she stated. Taking in the sight of the robbery, she concluded, "Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a dust shop in the middle of Downtown Vale."

"Blake's got a point," Ruby piped up as she adjusted her grip on the Team's towering Standard. "They never did catch that Torchwick guy I ran into a few months ago." Turning her attention back to the shattered glass and destroyed interior of the shop, she offered, "Maybe it was him."

"This is Downtown Vale, though," Yang reasoned. "We're in the heart of the capital city, it's a massive trading center. There's a lot of lien to be had here. Anyone greedy enough could've done it," she offered in support of her partner.

"That still doesn't change the statistics," Weiss countered. "It doesn't matter if you're a good or bad person at heart; if your good intentions don't mean anything if you break the law or hurt other people." Weiss remained unconvinced. "Even if they didn't do it, that still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum. Those faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal!" she flatly stated. Although, she did feel uneasy with all three of her teammates disagreeing.

Blake's urge to slap the spoiled brat skyrocketed. "Generalization is a logical fallacy," she muttered in response to the girl's tirade. This attitude explained her actions at Beacon, why she didn't befriend the faunus classmates the team interacted with. Weiss was always diplomatic, but never friendly. At least she didn't act like they needed to be segregated.

"That's not necessarily true. Not all faunus do bad things," Yang tried to explain as she felt tension rising. But, her efforts were interrupted by an untimely counter argument.

Weiss turned to the blonde. "People are getting robbed, killed, and raped; and all you have to say is, 'Not all faunus'?" she gawked, making her disapproval quite clear.

"Hey! Stop that faunus!" a distressed sailor cried out from across the street.

Weiss quickly returned to the dock with her cohorts behind her in formation. They took in the sight of a blonde figure dressed in jeans and an unbuttoned white shirt readying himself for a jump off the ship.

"Thanks for the ride, boys!" he laughed before making the jump onto the wooden tier below.

"You nogood stowaway!" another sailor shouted at the fleeing fugitive.

His response was as bizarre as it was sarcastic. Using a golden yellow tail, he hung himself upside down from a lamppost and began to feast on a banana.

Weiss growled in disgust at the sight before her. "Typical behavior. No respect for authority," she muttered.

The monkey man made some mischievous remark about being a great stowaway before the two police officers took to the scene.

"Hey!" the bearded officer called out as he and his partner approached the suspect. "Get down from der dis instant!"

The monkey man's response was to introduce the banana to the officer's face. He wasn't very fond of that. But before he could voice his displeasure, the faunus leapt over the both of them and bolted, causing the two officers to give chase.

Team WRBY watched as he quickly came upon their position.

Weiss refused the notion. "HEY! YOU!" she called out to the man. "STOP!" she commanded, drawing Myrtenaster as a show of force.

The monkey man laughed as he closed the distance and prepared to jump over the petite girl. He'd handled much fiercer opponents with less reaction time, she wouldn't be a problem to him.

Weiss pulled her left leg back, extended her right arm out with her middle and pointer finger aimed directly at the target, and brought her weapon up, keeping it parallel with her arm.

The faunus wasn't expecting a massive cyan snowflake to appear out of nowhere, much less while he was already jumping through the air. For a brief moment, he wondered what it was for. Then it hit him, squarely in the face.

The sound of skull colliding with materialized energy echoed through the air as the faunus landed the ground with a thud. He shot one hand up into the sky. "I! AM! The Monkey Masta~a~e~or!" The hand fell back down on the ground as the poor man sank into unconsciousness.

Weiss approached, unsure if the hit would suffice.

Cheers and applause erupted from those who were able to catch sight of the action.

Blake shivered with disbelief. She felt great anger in her leader's senseless violence. The faunus had done nothing to her, there wasn't any need to knock him out.

"Nice one, ma'am!" the first officer yelled as he and his cohort arrived at the scene.

The second officer quickly outlined the unconscious faunus in chalk.

"Yes, well…" Weiss huffed as she collected herself and attempted to calm her racing heart. "I do try to help local law enforcement when I can," she offered with a sense of benevolence.

"I think you helped a little too much," Yang hesitantly stated as she noticed the massive blue bruise forming on the guy's head. "He flew head first into your glyph," she remembered.

"Weiss!" Blake demanded, marching forward and stopping just a foot away from her leader. "What is your problem?! That faunus did nothing to you!" Blake exclaimed as the officers began to drag him away and the surrounding populace began to go back to their routines.

"He was a stowaway!" Weiss explained, taken aback and flustered by her second-in-command. "A crime punishable by mandatory military service!" she added, offended that her subordinate would question her decision. "Are you suggesting that I should have just let him run by us? Who knows what he would've done, he could've been a drug dealer!" she quickly theorized to justify her actions.

"That's just speculation on your part! You only did it because you hold a grudge against faunus!" Blake shouted, publicly calling Weiss out on her behavior. She had to answer for this, there was no question about it.

Glaring into the taller girl's eyes, Weiss argued, "I stopped a criminal!"

"You assaulted a person!" Blake countered, returning the glare and threatening to get physical.

The two came to a verbal standstill, both breathing heavily as they continued to glare at one another.

Weiss studied her accuser. This matter had to be handled delicately, or the whole team could fall apart. Weiss had spent her whole life training to lead a team; she was NOT about to let it slip through her fingers.

Blake saw this unjust violence as a precursor to even worse actions, a common behavioral pattern in most humans. If this was what she had to look forward to in a leader, she didn't want to be a part of the team.

Frozen in place with the Team Standard, Ruby looked to her sister for guidance. Both of them seemed right to her, but she felt that stating it would only make things worse.

"Look, maybe we should split up and do stuff on our own?" Yang suggested as she brought Ruby into a hug. It was one-way, though; Ruby still held the Standard.

Weiss analyzed the situation. This was a problem that seemed to run deep for Blake. Perhaps Blake was a faunus? No, she had been sharing a room with three others since April, and July was almost over. If Blake was a faunus, the secret would surely have made itself known by now.

"We could," Weiss considered as she the two leveled themselves out and reduced their glare to a mere stare. "But there's a dust shipment coming in from Atlas," Weiss revealed to them, despite the fact that the Schnee family kept business affairs as discreet as possible. "Sixty-seven crates of Schnee quality dust from one of our strip mines in my homeland."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "What's your point?" she wondered, unsure of what Weiss gained by revealing this intelligence.

"It'll be here in three days," Weiss continued. "When it arrives, we can do a stakeout. If the White Fang doesn't try to rob my family for the millionth time, I will concede to you, Blake. You'll have proven your point that there are enough good faunus in the world to counterbalance the bad." Taking in a breath, Weiss conceded, "And I would change my approach."

Blake paused. "...But if they show up, then I'm somehow wrong, and all faunus are inherently evil?" she asked. She already knew the answer.

Growling, Weiss demanded, "Would you stop using the straw man logical fallacy?! It's not helping the situation!" Pinching the bridge of her nose, she explained with a huff, "I suspect that the White Fang will attempt to rob the dust; because I believe that the White Fang is comprised of individuals who have no problem taking from others. And since over ninety percent of the organization is comprised of faunus, I _therefore_ believe that most of the faunus in said organization are bad people." Pausing for breath, she finalized, "That is what we are attempting to resolve, Blake Belladonna. Now would you like to disprove me or not?"

Blake sighed. The thought of being in a constant struggle against her leader for the next four years was not appealing to Blake. At least, with this, there was a chance. "I accept your terms."

Weiss smiled. "Excellent. Don't slander me again," she ordered before bidding her comrades go their own ways. Weiss had scouting to do, and she knew that her cohorts could use time for themselves.

The time to prove herself would come shortly.

Yang and Ruby left in a pair, with Ruby retracting the Standard into its compact, tubular carrying form. "C'mon," Yang offered as she took Ruby's hand in her own. "Let's go see what we can do about a bite to eat," she suggested in an attempt to take Ruby's mind off the fight.

"Yang," Ruby began as she walked alongside her sister. "I think they're both right," she confessed.

"What makes you say that?" Yang asked as they moved alongside the dock. In the warm summer heat, the smell of fish and bird droppings was something one had to get used to, lest they vomit.

"Well, Weiss stopped a guy who committed a crime, but Blake thinks she did it because of his race, not because of his actions. I wish those two would agree," she sighed as she looked out to see the merchant ships as well as the Atlas, Vacuo, and Mistral ships in dock and unloading their contents of people and crates.

"Yeah," Yang agreed as they began to make their way back into the bustling city. She took in all of the makeshift vending stands where people and faunus interacted for the purpose of pleasure and profit. She sadly took note of a significant portion of the faunus in the crowds being harassed or disrespected, and at this point in her life she knew perfectly why. "I don't want you or me to have to choose a side in our own team," she informed her sister as the two went looking for a nice, tasty meal. Yang was hoping for something unhealthy and filled with sugar. She had to eat healthy stuff in order to keep up with Weiss' workout regime, and that totally sucked for her.

* * *

If there was one thing Yang enjoyed, it was heat. Probably had something to do with her totally awesome aura, she figured. The warm summer nights of July were the best for her, even though other people disagreed. Staring out over the ocean, she wondered just how many things were in that water just waiting to kill her.

Ruby stared up at the moon as she wiped the sweat off her face with the armsleeve she had been using to eat her midnight rations. She didn't get too philosophical or retrospective when she was dying of heat exposure.

"Mey, Wuby?" Yang asked in a muffled voice.

"Wah, Yhangha?" Ruby asked in an equally muffled voice.

Yang swallowed the last bite of her sandwich, the rations that Weiss had prepared for the team's stakeout. "Sweet lord, that's terrible," Yang muttered as she shook her head. But, food was food.

Inhaling the crisp night air, she asked her younger sister, "You ever wonder why we're here?"

Ruby threw the unconsumed half of her sandwich off the building that they were camped out on. "Sometimes," Ruby admitted as she picked at her teeth, desperately trying to get the tuna and mayo remains out.

"We must never tell her," Ruby deadpanned, motioning towards their sleeping leader. If Weiss discovered that they had wasted the food that _she, Weiss Schnee,_ had slaved over, they'd be done for.

"Oh, absolutely." Yang nodded as she leaned against a chimney duct. "Ugh, we've been here since the dust came in five hours ago."

"Yeah," Ruby grunted as she examined her compact Crescent Rose for the millionth time out of boredom. "On the bright side, the days of awkwardness can finally come to an end, one way or the other."

Yang sighed. Blake had been practically jumping at Weiss's throat for the past two days, Weiss had been more than willing to meet her in the middle of the battlefield, and Yang hated for Ruby to be caught up in it. On one hand, Yang was glad to see that Ruby was becoming a great huntress, and she owed that much to Weiss. On the other hand, Weiss wasn't setting a very good example in conduct. It was her way or the highway, and Blake seemed to be the same way in that sense.

She was all for equality, but she didn't get to tell Weiss to can the bad attitude. Weiss was her leader, not her equal. What could she do? To go against the leader would be a dangerous act, as it was discipline and obedience that lay the foundation for a strong team. Yang couldn't cross that line unless there was a pretty strong reason; if Weiss hurt Ruby, then Yang would leap across that line and pound Weiss into the asphalt. But for now, staying out of it was for the best until it got resolved.

And for all her strength, smarts, and charisma, Yang didn't know what she and Ruby could do if the conflict wasn't resolved peacefully. Blake was right in that Weiss was in the wrong for hating a faunus for being a faunus; but Weiss technically did the right thing by stopping a criminal. Life just wasn't black and white enough, she supposed.

She looked over the dock where the shipment had been placed. Sixty-seven crates full of Schnee dust were stacked and just begging to be stolen. If the White Fang wanted to act, they'd have to come in and grab it before the dust got moved tomorrow.

"Hey," Ruby murmured, drawing Yang's attention. "Midnight," she declared as she held up her watch. "Our shift's over," she proudly addressed with fatigued satisfaction.

Yang smiled. Maybe some sleep would help. "Great. Let's wake up the Ice Queen," she offered, as they had been instructed to wake the other two girls for the midnight to six watch.

The two sisters moved to wake their superiors.

However, a sudden and strong, hair-whipping wind picked up and did the job for them. Weiss drew Myrtenaster as she jumped to her feet. Blake had Gambol Shroud at the ready, and the two stared in awe as a military grade Bulkhead came flying in low and fast.

"Uh-oh," Ruby muttered as she unlocked Crescent Rose. It had the same aura burns as the one Roman had used.

The four girls crouched at the edge of the building and observed the shrill engines of the gunship powering down as the vessel land in the middle of the loading dock.

Blake felt her soul being crushed when she saw a figure dressed with a red wolf's insignia emerge from the ship. "No…"

She didn't want to see. She didn't want it to be them. There were good faunus out there, she was one of them. If Weiss would just realize that each person was a complex entity not to be judged on behavior alone, that would've made this night a little bit easier for her.

"As I expected," Weiss grunted, idly cycling Myrtenaster's dust crystal cylinder. "Animals."

"Alright, grab the towing cables!" one shouted as he joined his five cohorts on the ground.

"You see that, Blake?" Weiss snidely asked. "Cheaters, liars, and thieves. Every last one of them."

Blake could not bring herself to look her leader in the eyes. Screaming silently, she wished that it wasn't like this.

Yang sighed. At the very least, this tension between the two girls could finally be resolved. "Okay, there's six of 'em." The math seemed simple. She reasoned, "We can just sneak up and Kay-Oh them."

"_**HEY!**_ What's the holdup?!" A taller man dressed in a white coat, black pants, black hat, and wielding a cane emerged from the gunship. His stroll was slow, but his wits were fast.

Ruby gasped. "Roman," she immediately recognized. "That's the Torchwick guy!" she whisper shrieked.

"We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment!" he sarcastically announced as he made his way down the ramp. "_**SO!**_ Why don't you animals try to pick up the pace?"

Weiss scoffed. "At least a human's in charge," she observed. It made sense to her.

"This isn't right," Blake decided. "The White Fang would never work with a human." If she was going to get answers, Blake knew that a more direct approach would be needed. Standing up, she unsheathed Gambol Shroud. "Especially not one like that!" she spat before leaping off the roof.

"No!" Weiss growled in frustration. "Confound it, Blake!"

Ruby and Yang readied their weapons. Ready or not, it looked like they would be going in.

"Okay, ladies," Weiss sighed as she stood up. "Watch where you shoot, we do _**NOT** _want that dust igniting! Let's go!" she ordered before jumping off.

As Roman was busy belittling one of his underlings, Blake took the initiative to use her semblance and take him from behind.

"What the-?!" was all he could manage before he realized that someone somewhere had placed something sharp to his neck. A thin blade, designed for quick swings. "Oh, for fu-" he muttered. It looked like tonight would be one of _those_ nights. "Ugh," he joylessly finished.

As the six members of the White Fang began to respond to the threat, Blake began to order, "Nobody-!"

The air itself seemed to shriek as a red and white figure cut through with their own superspeed and quickly took out two members apiece.

The last two men barely had time to register that they were being attacked before a yelling, charging, golden blur was upon them and punching their faces with shotgun gauntlets. Needless to say, they joined their cohorts in unconscious.

All six landed on the ground simultaneously.

Blake found herself without the desired audience now. "M-move?" she muttered in awe at her team's response. Their hard work had paid off, that was obvious to her.

"Sweet lord," Roman muttered as he rolled his eyes. "You kids just keep getting weirder," he complained, despite having a kid holding a blade held to his jugular.

"Ever heard of stealth, Yang?" Weiss grunted as she kicked one of the bodies to ensure that it wasn't getting up anytime soon.

Yang scoffed as she tapped one of her own takedowns with her boot. "I just punch stuff, princess. Subtlety isn't my thing." Chuckling to herself, she added, "Besides, we've used each other's weapons enough to know that Ember Celica don't do stealth."

"Yeah, nothing about Yang is subtle or stealthy," Ruby laughed as she chambered a fresh round into Crescent Rose with a _**schklikt, klikt!**_

"Oh! Hello, Red." Roman scoffed at the sight of his old acquaintance. "Isn't it past your bedtime?" he jabbed, maintaining his sarcasm in the face of Death.

"Shouldn't you be calling your mom?" Weiss immediately fired back.

"_Oho!_ Snow White's got bite!" Roman laughed. "It certainly makes up for her lack of height," he shot back with a knowing smirk.

Weiss walked right up to the man and backhanded him, much to his disgust. "Look, Greecy, you tried to steal my dust." Pointing the end of Myrtenaster in his face, Weiss stated, "I don't appreciate thieves, and I CERTAINLY don't appreciate animal thieves."

Blake observed that the members in question were just kids, probably a few years older than herself. They weren't bad, just misguided.

Finger on the trigger, Weiss deadpanned, "Now talk, or there won't be a head left to run that ugly mouth of yours."

Grunting at the sting on his left cheek, Roman chuckled, "I'm going to enjoy breaking your arm."

Blake tightened her grip on their hostage. "Why are the White Fang helping you?" she demanded.

Eyeing his unconscious underlings, Roman scoffed. "I wouldn't exactly call it helping," he figured with a disappointed look on his face. He had to admit: he got what he paid for. Which was zero lien.

Rolling her eyes, Weiss sighed with frustration. "Don't make my yellow friend do the talking," she threatened with a nod towards Yang, whose gauntlets were primed and ready.

"Who cares?" Ruby asked as she folded up Crescent Rose. "We've put an end to his little operation. Can't we just turn him into the authorities and go home?" she requested, hoping to wash her hands of the matter.

A sudden gust of wind picked up; and much to their distress, Team WRBY saw two more gunships coming in.

Grinning, Roman thoughtfully commented, "I wouldn't exactly call it a _little_ operation, Red."

Ruby unlocked Crescent Rose and scooted up next to Weiss. "I spoke too soon," she whispered more to herself than to her leader.

"Blake." Weiss readied Myrtenaster for the impending fight and started walking away. "Break his legs," she ordered with no hint of remorse or hesitation. "We'll interrogate him later."

That was an amusing statement to Roman. "Ha! That's rich." He shook his head with a sigh. "You really have no idea who you're messing with, do you, Snow White?" he wondered with a smirk. She was in for a nasty surprise.

Aiming his cane in Blake's general area, Roman discharged a dust round with a massive _**KABOOOM!** _and sending Team WRBY flying in different directions.

_**"ARE YOU CRAZY?!"**_ Weiss shrieked as she scrambled to her feet. "Do you _**WANT**_ this entire dock to go up in a rainbow explosion?!" she bellowed in frustration and horror.

Ruby landed on her back, temporarily losing her wind. "Hey, if I had to choose between getting my head cut off or instantly burned into ash, I'd choose the latter too," Ruby reasoned as she tapped into her morbid sense of logic. "Okay, let's fight bad guys!" she cheered as she got to her feet.

Blake landed with a thud, but she had little time to dwell on the outfoxing as Yang started assaulting Roman, preventing him from discharging any more blasts.

Wasting no time, Blake readied both the blade and equally sharp sheath of Gambol Shroud. "I've got you, Yang!" she exclaimed as she charged in to help her partner.

Weiss and Ruby reformed just as reinforcements dropped out of the two gunships.

"Stand down, I've got them," Weiss stated as she chambered her cyan dust. Pulling her left foot back, she aimed her right arm ahead of the leading airship, leveled Myrtenaster with her pointer finger, and gently squeezed the trigger. As the light blue flame engulfed the blade, Weiss calculated the shot and let loose an exorbitantly large blast of cyan dust.

The energy traveled fast, and Weiss successfully hit the right wing of the incoming Bulkhead. She quickly adjusted her aim and let loose another blast that struck the right wing of the second airship.

Both went spiraling out of control, crashing safely in the water. Well, safely for the city, Weiss corrected herself. The pilots and passengers were royally screwed.

The victory was overshadowed by ground forces closing in on the battlefield.

"No time to reload," Weiss muttered as she and Ruby stood at each other's backs, surrounded by eight White Fang mercenaries. "Ready, Ruby?" she asked, heart racing as she realized that she was going to have to fight for her life tonight.

Tightening her grip on Crescent Rose, Ruby answered with confidence, "I was born ready, Weiss!"

Her leader smirked as the White Fang attacked.

On the other side of the dock, Yang was becoming frustrated. For the life of her, she could _not_ land a hit on the stupid guy! With every punch she threw, he either backed up or blocked with that annoying cane of his. How was some stupid cane even _**WITHSTANDING**_ the power of a shotgun blast?!

Whatever the cause, she was totally going to get that cane for a trophy.

Blake used her semblance in bursts, trying to outflank him. But Gambol Shroud was a slashing sword. Roman's cane proved to be more than a match for her technique.

"So, Goldilocks, how much did you pay for those gauntlet enhancements?" Roman teased as he held his own against the two girls' onslaught.

Yang held her tongue. At an arm's length, she was just as vulnerable as he was. And Yang was using up her ammo fast. If she was going to land a hit, she'd have to be fast and lucky. Whoever this Roman was, he was good. Her heart was racing, her mind was calculating every outcome of every move at the speed of light; but he was almost relaxing, despite being attacked in two directions. In the very back of her mind, she realized that he probably even outmatched her.

Yang grimaced as she continued her attack.

Still slashing with both blades of Gambol Shroud, Blake realized that she had to slow down. She was using her semblance too quickly, and she was starting to feel the fatigue. Roman had already gotten a few jabs and punches in, and the bruises were hard to ignore.

In a furious motion, Ruby knocked out yet another unlucky assailant with the end of Crescent Rose. Not one cartridge was spent in the making of that butt-kicking. She figured that it was probably a new record for her.

"Weiss, duck!" she yelled as she swung Crescent Rose over her leader and sent a charging faunus flying frivolously.

Weiss leapt back to her feet and fired a small blast of red dust towards two more White Fang. the shot hit the ground next to them, and they too were sent sailing through the air.

"I think that's all!" Ruby declared with a huff.

Suddenly, an entire horde of at least twenty, armed with swords, came charging around a conveniently placed corner.

"You really need to stop speaking too soon!" Weiss spat as she observed the oncoming charge and the two versus one going on behind her.

Three more gunships rose up from behind a conveniently placed warehouse. Weiss deduced that they were the source of the reinforcements.

"Oh, come _**OOON!**_" she shrieked in frustration as she used her semblance to get behind another faunus and slash him across the back.

Red dust still in the desired chamber, Weiss repeated her aiming ritual and fired three deafening blasts.

The first ship was hit dead center and flew straight overhead, crashing into the background. The second was hit on the wing and began corkscrewing out of control, flying over the bay and meeting a watery end. The third was hit on the underbelly, right where all of the vital mechanical functioning took place. It too dropped like a fly.

The oncoming horde faltered. Taking on someone that dangerous was not in their contract.

In the heat of the moment, Weiss glared at the gunship that Roman had come in on. It just sat there, as if it were somehow _**BETTER** _than her. Using the rest of her red dust, she reduced it to a smoldering, burning pile of melted, flaming scrap.

Ruby whistled, quite impressed with her leader's marksmanship.

"That was a rental!" Roman cried out in disbelief as he continued to defend himself._** "THOSE WERE ALL RENTALS!"**_ he regretfully realized. _**"YOUR ALBUM SUCKS!"**_ he shrieked as he attempted to insult the girl who just botched his escape route.

Yang and Blake were keeping Roman occupied, albeit suffering the stray punch and kick in the process; but the battle was slowly turning in Roman's favor. Weiss realized that action had to be taken, or all would be lost.

Her wristwatch had a whistle attached to it. The watchmaker had given her the most bizarre expression when she showed him her designs for it, but he had accepted the handsome sum offered and constructed the peculiar mechanism.

The team had incorporated it in training, but now Weiss put her device to use in the field for the first time. Holding up her right wrist, she blew the whistle and, conditioned to respond to the command, Blake and Yang immediately withdrew from the fight and retreated to Weiss's side, leaving a very confused Roman behind.

"Diamond formation!" Weiss ordered as her team reassembled.

"These kids can't GET any weirder!" he groaned to himself. All he wanted was a little organized crime! Surely the world could not begrudge him just a little mayhem? Alas, it seemed to him that Fate was indeed a cruel mistress.

"Thanks for softening him up, girls!" Weiss quickly congratulated them. "Now get rid of the faunus!" she ordered as she turned her eye to the mastermind behind the operation. "Ruby and I will deal with Greecy!"

"It's Roman!" he shouted from across the dock. Honestly, back in his day, he had to show respect to everyone, even to Johnny Johnson, the one who kept taking his lunch money.

"Got it!" Yang and Blake acknowledged as they took off to engage the horde. Maybe now they would make some more direct progress.

Spinning his cane, Roman laughed to himself as he strutted forward. "Really? Snow White and Little Red?" He loaded a fresh dust crystal into his cane before asking, "Do you expect me to run?"

"No, Greecy." Weiss readied Myrtenaster and, seeing that Ruby was ready to charge, activated her semblance. The snowflake appeared beneath her as she explained, "First we fight, then you run, then we shoot you in the back."

There, in the middle of the dock, Weiss and Ruby sped forward with their entire future at stake. Roman met them head on to decide the outcome of the battle.

Cane and Myrtenaster clashed with a shrill _**CLANG!**_ Weiss leapt back as she swung her next blow, giving Ruby ample room to come in from behind and strike him down.

But Roman proved to be smarter than that. He pushed forward, forcing Weiss to defend herself and forcing Ruby to hold back. She couldn't swing her scythe in earnest without hitting her leader if the two were so close together.

Ruby wasn't expecting that, and so she faltered, unsure of what to do.

Weiss grimaced. Putting her foot down, she switched from graceful slashes to vicious stabs. Roman continued to block, but Weiss was able to halt his advance. He started sidestepping to her right, trying to get around her stronger radius of attack and flank her.

Weiss countered by stepping to her left. The two were now locked in a dogfight on the ground, constantly moving in a circle while making stabs, slashes, blocks, and lunges at one another. It was almost beautiful for Weiss, but the man _was_ trying to kill her. And he was doing it with that annoyingly smug grin on his stupid face.

Meanwhile, over on the other side of the dock, Blake and Yang executed one of their strategies that Weiss had designed and drilled. It was meant for killing Grimm, but it was a very versatile strategy.

Blake used her semblance to distract the thugs on the edge of the horde, picking off whoever made themselves vulnerable. Simultaneously, Yang utilized her brute force and stood her ground, taking on the bulk of the charging mass.

Yang slowly became surrounded, but she kept the White Fang at bay with Ember Celica and the occasional roundhouse kick. She was rather fond of this strategy. All she had to do was draw everyone's attention on her and let Blake pick them off one by one.

And Blake, despite her strong reservations against bringing harm to faunus without first getting their side of the story, recognized that the time for diplomacy was over. With the White Fang it had been over for years; she had just been too foolish to see it until now.

Blake and Yang fought on, slowly whittling down the horde's numbers. They were neither experienced or in a formation, so each one stood on their own. They were immobilized with ease.

Simultaneously, as Roman's leg found its way into her midriff, Weiss hit the ground squarely on her buttocks. She tucked and rolled out of the way, just in time for Ruby to leap in and assault the foe.

"Nice of you to wait your turn, Red!" Roman quipped as he evaded her strikes. "But Snow White and I have unfinished business!"

Ruby continued to throw her whole body into her relentless fury of swings and semblance-powered speed boosts. "Your appointment's been cancelled!" she quipped, much to his amusement.

Blake and Yang stood side by side. Yang was smashing her fists together; Blake was sharpening Gambol Shroud on its equally sharp sheath.

And in the corner was a terrified faunus footsoldier of the White Fang.

Yang chuckled as she sauntered forward. Leaning down into the poor girl's face, she puckered up.

The thug didn't know what to think of the inviting kiss.

_**"BOO!"**_ Yang yelled, suddenly opening her lilac eyes and glaring into the girl's soul.

She was gone before the sound of her shriek reached Yang's ear.

The powerhouse laughed before turning back to Blake. "Ah, that was great." Reloading Ember Celica, she sighed, "Okay, let's go help that darned supremacist."

Blake smirked for the first time that night. Yang showed mercy to someone her leader claimed was inferior. Yang knew that Weiss was wrong. Blake would remember that.

The two charged off to reinforce their team.

Blake came in first, thanks to her semblance. Yang was going to need more time to close the distance, as she was the only one without superspeed; but Blake didn't have time to wait.

As Roman battled against Ruby's unrelenting scythe, he made sure to keep Weiss off his back by constantly moving in and out of her line of attack. If Weiss didn't get a clear shot, she would end up impaling Ruby; so she was forced to wait, much to her growing frustration.

But Weiss saw that Blake was coming in from Roman's left, his weakest defendable flank. She stepped back to give the girl enough room to maneuver.

Timing her strike, Blake brought in Gambol Shroud and made one quick, clean strike across Roman's back.

"Woah there!" Roman shouted in surprised as he quickly turned his back to Ruby and fired at the passing shadow. The round went high and fell into the ocean, making for a harmless, yet wet explosion. "Keep the cutting to yourself, pal!"

He silently thanked Cinder for suggesting that he wear an armored vest underneath his suit. It was amazing what kind of lightweight hunting armor one could steal from the market.

He was distracted, away from Ruby, and unsure of his surroundings. Weiss had never killed a man before, but one stab to the gut was all she needed to achieve what had previously been unattainable honor, glory, and recognition for her leadership abilities. Bringing down such a dangerous criminal would earn praise from everyone.

She activated her semblance and shot forward.

Ruby saw her coming and jumped back, giving her leader all the room she would need.

But Roman saw her coming as well.

As Weiss lunged forward, he side-stepped to her far left and hooked his cane around her left arm.

"Wha-?!" was all Weiss could manage as Roman pulled her towards him, grabbed her left arm, and threw her to the ground.

Tightening his grip and using his cane as leverage, Roman snapped her arm completely backwards.

Myrtenaster didn't even hit the ground before she screamed.

_**"NOOOOOO!"**_ Ruby shrieked.

"Stupid brat," Roman muttered as he unhooked his cane and beamed her across the head.

As Weiss fell silent, Roman left the other three without any need to hold back. It was a mistake that he wouldn't have time to regret.

Blake came in from behind, slashing him across the back of his right leg.

_**Schklikt, klikt!**_

He barely had time to kneel in pain before Ruby discharged one high caliber, armor-piercing cartridge as Blake made her exit.

He barely had time to clutch his bleeding chest before Yang finally came charging in and introduced his jaw to Ember Celica.

_**"Dodge THIS, Greecy!"**_ echoed alongside the shotgun blast as Roman flew through the air.

All went silent as he landed in an unconscious pile of limbs and flesh.

For the first time in her life, Ruby abandoned Crescent Rose.

_**"Weiss!"**_ she screamed, running over to her teammate. She made the mistake of grabbing Weiss's broken arm as she rolled her onto her back, eliciting a sharp groan from the girl who was fading in and out of an agonizing coma.

"Gently!" Blake growled as she got down on her knees alongside Ruby. "Apply your aura gently! If you go too fast, you'll end up worse than her!"

Yang got down and joined her sister, applying her own aura to their leader's arm. Such a severe injury could not be saved by aura alone, but it could be stabilized.

The seconds dragged on, and Weiss's head tossed and turned as she desperately groaned for the pain to stop. But her arm slowly found itself back in its original position, and the bone would be healed with proper medical treatment and aura.

"We'll need a cast," Blake explained as they continued to stabilize their leader. "Her arm won't heal properly without a cast to set it in place," she stated as they continued to work to stabilize their leader. Blake, having already used most of her aura, quickly began to feel queezy as she drained herself even further.

"We need some professionals." Yang quickly removed her Scroll and started punching in numbers. "I'll call an ambulance."

Blake fell back, unable to keep a steady balance. She looked back to find Roman still unconscious. "Make it two," she muttered begrudgingly as she took deep breaths.

"You're going to be fine," Ruby pleaded to her groaning leader. "You're going to be fine, don't worry, Weiss."

Through clenched teeth, Weiss managed, "Don't… cry."

It sounded more like an order than a plea, but Ruby still laughed as tears began to drop.

The unconscious form of Roman Torchwick was quickly thrown into an ambulance. The paramedics had had the decency of wrapping his face up and bandaging his cut leg and even removing the cartridge from his chest, but they weren't happy about it. The man had done a lot of damage, and he deserved the pain.

"I'm not sure who's the bigger idiot," Weiss confessed as the police finished taking testaments. "The faunus, or the human who thought it was a good idea to hire the faunus."

Blake was too tired to react. She was tired; she was cold; her aura was drained; and she just wanted to go to sleep, to forget about all of this.

Ruby refused to leave Weiss's side, even to the now conscious leader whom the paramedics had been able to save. They reassured the team that the arm would heal; and if the other three girls would continue to apply small amounts of aura through each day, Weiss could be back at full strength by the end of the week.

Ruby was overjoyed, practically dancing circles around the exhausted girl.

Yang sighed as she leaned against Roman's cane. He wasn't going to be using it for a while, and she wanted a trophy. Everyone was a winner! Things were finally over. The conflicts were resolved, and all four of them could go back to working perfectly with one another.

Blake was discontent. She had gotten to know Weiss relatively well. She was going to have the last word in this matter before the night was over, and Blake didn't want to hear it.

"Dat'll be all, ladies," the first, still bearded officer, assured them as he and his partner started back to their car. "Every'ting checks out. Ye were just defendin' yer property."

Yang watched them drive off. With a little luck, maybe this would be the last time they had to deal with the law.

"Okay," Weiss sighed as she motioned for the three to gather around her. "A few words for each of you, and then we'll all go home," she offered.

"What's up, Weiss?" Yang asked nonchalantly as she fiddled with Roman's cane.

"First, is that thing unloaded?" Weiss cautiously asked. She considered it a miracle that Roman hadn't blown them up with it yet, and she wasn't going to take any chances with the cane.

Yang broke the barrel open. "Empty as my lover's bed!" she proudly proclaimed before snapping the cane shut.

Ruby groaned. Blake chuckled.

Weiss ignored the lewd comment and continued, "Well, Yang. I'm happy to hear that you avenged me."

Yang smirked. "It was the least I could do. I only wish I'd done it sooner," she regretted.

Weiss smiled. "You did a fine job, Yang." Turning to Ruby, she offered the girl her right hand. "You fought brilliantly."

Ruby began to quiver. "B-but I couldn't stop him. I couldn't protect you!" she reminded her, attempting to put all of the blame on herself.

Weiss shushed the girl and tried her best to hug her with one arm. "You did well. Your diligence showed in your training." Patting the younger girl on the back, Weiss reassured her, "You'll be a magnificent huntress, Ruby."

Once she saw that Ruby understood, Weiss let go of her partner and turned to Blake.

Blake found it difficult to keep eye contact with her.

"I know you're not going to change your mind," Weiss began as she ignored Blake's poor attitude. "But I just need to know that you'll keep your personal opinions out of your profession and be there to help the team and pull your weight," Weiss informed her. "So, are we good, Blake?" It was a simple question, devoid of any bias.

But Blake knew better. "We're good," she answered.

"Okay." Weiss took in the cold morning air and gazed out at the rising sun. "Then let's head back home. It's the start of a new day, so let's not waste a minute of it!"

Ruby offered Weiss Myrtenaster. "Here!" she eagerly offered.

Weiss accepted the blade with her right hand. It felt absolutely awkward, but she would surely learn to manage. "You're going to have to take notes for me, Ruby," she relented.

Ruby nodded. It would be her honor. "No problem, Weiss!"

Weiss smiled. The team would be stronger than ever before. "Team WRBY, assume formation!" she commanded.

Ruby stood a few feet behind Weiss. The Team Standard had been left back at the dorm when they left for the stakeout, but Ruby was still the rearguard. And right now, she was perfectly happy to keep her leader in constant sight.

Yang took up the right flank. Ember Celica were still warm from combat and ready to repel any further attacks.

Blake took up the honorable position of holding the left flank, despite the fact that Weiss couldn't be left-handed right now.

Still, despite the honor, a deep discontent began to brew within Blake Belladonna as the team marched home. This discontent would steadily grow over the years, and it would eventually boil over at the most pivotal moment in her life.

* * *

_"She was still wrong. She was still spoiled, spoiled by her wealth and spoiled by her superiority complex. But she was my leader, and I couldn't bring myself to undermine the most promising leadership I had seen. That would have made me the thing that she hated, that she advocated against. I wouldn't do that. I refused to do that, even for so many years._

_"The week passed, and Weiss was back to fighting by the end of it. She pushed us even harder than she had done before. She claimed that it was because of the upcoming Vytal Festival that would be pitched to all the teams of the world, and she claimed that she wanted us to be the best that Beacon had ever seen._

_"I still think that she was lying. I still think that she just wanted to be on the stage with crowds cheering her on. I know she grew up with that success in her singing career, so I am confident that that was the case with us. It is an awful thing to believe, but for a long time she was an awful person to follow._

_"But the reasons and motives are not as important as what was to come. I myself was not able to witness the important part in person, and so I was forced to rely upon Weiss's account of what happened until the very end. I still feel anger towards myself for failing to bear witness. I learned the truth decades later, but that doesn't make her propaganda any less sour._

_"Even in my old age, I still take her words with a spoon of salt; and I would advise any who read her descriptions to do the same, even if they are found in all of the history texts. Weiss was as ambitious as she was self righteous, and honesty isn't a quality known to be held in high regard by the ambitious. I would also advise disregarding Ruby's recollections of my leader. Her opinion may have been valid at the beginning, but it became skewered beyond validity in our later years._

_"For obvious reasons."_


	4. Act One: Forever, Rise

**The adventure continues three weeks after Volume 1, Episode 16.**

* * *

The late evening air was tense for Beacon, Blake could sense it. She justified this tension, as tomorrow was the day that they would be given their Final Exam. The first semester of a First Year student would be a chokepoint in which an average of forty percent didn't pass; and they would either leave or try again. But she was on one of the best teams of this year. There was nothing to fear.

It explained her calm and collected stance as she waited outside the auditorium, where several hundred students were quickly gathering for Ozpin's impending announcement on tomorrow's judgement.

Blake perked up as her three teammates approached in a triangular formation. Yang strode in pride alongside Weiss's right flank. Ruby bounced along in the back, proudly bearing the Team Standard.

A low growl rumbled in the back of Blake's throat. That accursed, four colored snowflake was an object of disdain, not honor. To throw salt on the wound, the setting sun's rays reflected off the cast iron. If Blake didn't understand the meaning behind the Standard, she would have found it mesmerizing.

"Yooo, Blake!" Yang called with a smile as she waved Roman's cane above her head. Three

weeks had passed since she'd won that prize, and Yang still treated it like a priceless gem. "How's my favorite partner?" Yang casually asked, striking up conversation as she threw her arm around the girl.

Laughing, Blake corrected, "I'm your _only_ partner, Yang!" Evading the blonde's headlock, careful to keep her bow from being undone.

The three made their way through the passing crowd of silhouettes. "You ready for the Final Exam?" Yang asked as she leaned on her cane.

"She's on our team, Yang." Weiss flipped her hair with a confidence and looked the brunette over. "_Of course_ she's ready," she complimented with a smirk.

Bemused, Blake raised an eyebrow at the unexpected compliment. "You'll give me diabetes with such sweet words, Weiss," she joked.

As the two sisters laughed, Weiss scoffed. Still, she found amusement in the words. With a haughty scoff, she declared, "Very funny, Blake. I am perfectly capable of joking too."

"I dunno, Weiss." Yang shot with a cocky grin, "Your jokes tend to be a bit… dry." Giving her cane a spin, she added, "Dry like ice."

_"OOOOH,"_ Ruby gasped. "Shots fired, Weiss!"

Sighing, Weiss accepted the reality of the situation. Her right flank would forever be pelted with petty puns. "Ozpin is about to announce the exam. Let's get inside," she ordered as she began to march ahead.

Blake quickly grabbed Yang and pulled her out of the crowd. "I need to speak with Yang," she quickly explained.

"Don't take too long," Weiss requested before continuing on with Ruby.

Weiss dismissed any suspicion. She had to pull Ruby aside now and then, but lately Ruby had been the one to pull Weiss aside. It always didn't amount to much. Still, she wasn't complaining.

Ruby wasn't complaining either. She got to take up Weiss's left flank, the most prestigious point of honor in the team's diamond formation. She smiled with pride as she made sure not to hit the Standard on anything without Weiss's order.

Blake quickly pulled Yang a few feet off of the main walkway, behind a conveniently placed tree. Turning to face her partner, her face growing solemn.

And Yang's spirits dropped. "Is this about Weiss?" she asked, dreading the incoming confirmation.

Blake reluctantly nodded.

Yang didn't mean for her eye to twitch, but she really didn't want this to become a problem again. "What do you want, Blake?" she asked.

The four had gone back to being normal. Weiss held fast in her leadership, and Yang never noticed a single glare from Blake. Granted, she had become far more reserved about Weiss, but the shorter girl had also ceased in actively belittling the faunus species. It seemed like peace had been established, or at the very least: a ceasefire.

Yang supposed that wasn't good enough for Blake.

Taking in the cool August air, Blake confessed, "I want to know what you want, actually." Frowning, she hesitantly ventured, "I assume it's not for your sister to develop a racist or sexist outlook.

Yang looked down, truly ashamed of what was happening. "I want Ruby to be happy, Blake."

The brunette nodded, fully understanding Yang's desire.

"I've never seen her this happy." Looking up, she confided with regret, "I was so scared that Ruby would come here and not find anyone, that she'd continue being this introverted, socially awkward girl who was too afraid to even ask for help."

Blake figured as much. Yang didn't talk too much about life before Beacon. A family was something she didn't have a lot of experience with, but she knew that it was one of the most sacred things to hold dear.

"And you see that Weiss has made her life better?" she assumed.

"Oh, absolutely!" Yang declared with a nod. "Ruby has perfect grades, perfect attendance, and perfect fighting skills! She's got this great extroversion now, and Weiss is helping her every day with, like, everything!" she eagerly explained with a twirl of her cane. "They work out together, they diet together, they're a real power couple."

Blake couldn't help but admire Yang's pride. Passion was always part of Yang's personality, but it shone especially bright with Ruby.

Yang's smile fell apart, and sadness seeped into her tone. "Weiss works hard, but she doesn't think very well of faunus in general, does she? The dock incident showed us that."

Blake raised an eyebrow, now skeptical. "And yet you refuse to intervene? Even though you know that this superiority complex and racism could-"

_"I know!"_ Yang snapped in frustration, stabbing the ground with her cane.

Blake fell silent. Yang had never lost her temper with her before.

Yang growled, waving a dismissive hand. "I didn't mean to lash out at you, Blake."

Placing a hand on her friend's shoulder, Blake gently ushered, "I know. I didn't mean to push."

Sighing, Yang meekly stated, "Weiss is good for Ruby, but she's not good for Ruby either, y'know?"

Moving her other hand to Yang's shoulder, Blake sympathized, "You owe a lot to Weiss, I know."

Yang continued to gaze. Blake's beauty was as boundless as her empathy. "Ruby means the world to me, Blake. I owe a lot to Weiss, even if she's not the nicest girl in town."

Before Blake could dismiss such a ludicrous statement, Yang quickly explained, "Weiss did what I couldn't do. I tried my whole life to get Ruby to be her own girl, but she just felt like she couldn't do stuff without me." Sighing, Yang wondered, "Does that make any sense to you? Do you have siblings?"

Blake didn't have any siblings anymore. But she could still sympathize. "No," she decided.

"Weiss did it. I don't know how," Yang begrudgingly admitted with a grimace. It was a mystery to her, but she was happy, not caring that she might never know. "But I owe her a lot for making my sister into someone who can stand for themselves now. Ruby doesn't even come to me anymore and ask about this or that, it's different, but it's progress."

There was a brief silence, but Blake kept her hand on Yang. How could she begrudge her partner of her one desire? She wanted only the best for Ruby.

"Hey, you two!" Ruby suddenly called out.

Yang and Blake turned to see the Standard Bearer motioning for them to get inside.

"Ozpin's getting started! And Weiss is getting mad! Come ooon!" Ruby nagged before running back inside.

Her timing could not have been more inappropriate. Begrudgingly, Blake followed Yang.

* * *

"You all recall your Initiation Trial in the Emerald Forest, yes?" Ozpin asked, voice echoing loudly over speakers and around the auditorium, the very same location where he announced the new year's teams.

The entire audience groaned in response.

He smirked. "I'll take that as a confirmation. Well, your first three quarter exams were simple papers, and minor sparring matches. You all enjoyed those, yes?"

Spars whoops and hollers went out as everyone clapped and cheered.

"How'd you like another one? Maybe a fifty question exam with some simple drills on defence?" he asked with a compassionate smile.

At that proposition, the masses of Beacon held Ozpin up to be a god among men. Truly, this was the end of hard times for them as his generosity consumed them all!

And that was the moment he lived for. "Well, you're not getting that."

And at that statement, the masses of Beacon proclaimed Ozpin to be a demon from the darkest depths of the hottest depths.

Raising a hand, he immediately silenced the boos and disdain of the crowd. "For your Final Exam, you'll be going through a live combat trial, staged in more hostile territory."

With her three teammates behind her, Weiss felt undefeatable. Surely this would be easier than slaying a Nevermore, fighting off hordes of White Fang savages, or listening to Ruby's snoring.

Ozpin revealed, "This exam will be initiated in the area of Forever Fall."

That was a heartstopper for many. Forever Fall was the most immediate danger in all of Northeast Vytal. It was a small area of land, sandwiched between the dominant region of Vale to the South and its extended territories to the East. But what it lacked in size, it made up for in the concentration of hostiles. Grimm were always pushing in that area, and it had yet to be tamed.

"The challenge will test only your ability to kill," Ozpin deadpanned. "Your equations and theorems will be of no use to you in the dense and heavily wooded region of Forever Fall. This will be your first taste of what a Huntress' or Hunter's life is like in one day."

Raising his hand again to silence murmurs, Ozpin explained, "This is the most brutal part of your training. Pass, and you will not only survive, but you will know for a fact that you can make a career as a Hunter or Huntress."

It was a do or die path to walk, as all had grown up learning. The demand for Hunters and Huntresses was most dire in Vale, as the lands were yet untamed, and death by mauling was a very real possibility if one was undefended.

"And with that knowledge, you will be able to finish your next three years here and go out into the world. I know that most of you shall remain here and be paid a very handsome salary to defend Vale's frontiers," Ozpin reasoned with confidence.

It was the way of life for Vale. With a greater threat of death came a greater demand for defence. Most of the graduates of Beacon took up their career along the extensive northern frontier of Vale's extended territories. Others took positions in the South to guard agricultural regions. And a few always found the ideal life in Vacuo, Atlas, or Mystral. The skill of a graduated Hunter inadvertently funneled Grimm into the less protected region of Forever Fall.

"But, if you seek another road, than that will be your road to walk," he quickly added. There had been some who sought different paths, and while he did not agree with all of them, Ozpin understood the hardships that came with being a Hunter.

And he couldn't begrudge someone for finding an alternative.

He reminded the masses, "To simply pass this exam means to survive the day. It is a basic task that reflects a strenuous job."

Yang felt confident. With Ember Celica on her arms, and with her team backing her up, there was nothing that she couldn't do.

Ozpin stepped away from the microphone and allowed his partner, Glynda Goodwitch, to take the stage. Drawing up a simple map of Northeast Vytal on the massive screen, Glynda began her debriefing.

"All teams will be deployed to the southern region of Forever Fall. You will have twenty-four hours to kill as many creatures of Grimm as you can," she revealed as she played with her scroll.

Blake relaxed. Command and conquer was a simple task, indeed. The four of them could pick and choose their targets and greatly reduce the risk of severe, or even fatal injury.

A mass scroll alert echoed through the auditorium.

"Since we don't want a mass slaughter to ensue," Glynda explained with a smirk, "we will keep all teams in a single row, with a number for the sector that you and your team will remain in. This will simulate team coordination and assistance that you would experience while working in the Northern Frontier."

Weiss scoffed. Such a measure was counterintuitive. If one had not made it this far, why wouldn't they be capable of defending themselves?

"Every member will be equipped with a flare gun for signaling. Teams will be assigned zones of eight square miles in which they must actively seek out prey, slay, and alert the surrounding teams if assistance is required. You will want to ensure that you know your terrain, and of anything that inhabits it, so we recommend you do your best to clear it out."

A buzz went off in Blake's pocket. Removing her scroll, she confirmed that she had received the information. "We'll be on the edge of the southern region," she whispered to her teammates who crowded around her scroll. "By a small stream. If anything, we can catch fish," she joked with a grin.

"What is it with you and tuna?" Ruby asked in a hushed tone. She couldn't stand the foul smell, but Blake always had to have some in stock.

Blake chose to ignore the question as Glynda continued, "All teams will have two objectives: Stay alive for twenty-four hours. Kill as many Grimm as you can in twenty-four hours. There will not be a specific grade you'll receive. You shall either pass, fail, or die. There are no 'bonus' points for killing more Grimm than another team."

Glynda stepped back, her task complete.

Ozpin stepped back up. "Any questions?"

There was a timid blonde with a timid voice who timidly asked some kind of question but was drowned out by Ozpin's immediate follow up.

"Good. In that case, I suggest you all gather what supplies you will want for the day and get a good night's rest." With a knowing smirk, he added, "I can assure you that it will be the best sleep you'll have for a while."

* * *

If there was ever to be a moment where Weiss regretted being the head of a diamond formation, it was now.

"Stupid thistles!" She spat as she cut them down with Myrtenaster. "Of course, WE had to be the best team, so WE have to be put on the frontline of the region!" she spoke more to herself than to her cohorts.

"We're all on the frontline, because there is only one line, Weiss," Blake corrected with a touch of sass as she effortlessly cut down the overgrown shrubbery. Continuing their trudge through the eight square miles of nothing but natural barriers, she continued to check all around her. She couldn't tell her teammates, but she knew for a fact that they were being watched. Withholding critical information could get her killed; but revealing her faunus nature could result in a total collapse of the only stability she had ever known.

Yang nearly tripped over a rotting log as she observed, "Isn't that a good thing? I kinda thought you wanted to be the best?" she wondered as she motioned for Ruby to watch her step. Chuckling, the blonde pulled a few stray thistles out of her massive, susceptible head of hair. "It's only been twelve hours, but if you wanna drop out and go home-"

"Hush, you." Weiss struck down more of Mother Nature's obstacles. She could feel the scratchy seedpods clinging to her. Today would be the day she cursed her own combat skirt. "How much farther, Ruby?" She demanded impatiently as the four continued on, slowly gaining ground as they carved a path. "I want to finish searching this completely _**EMPTY** _forest before noon!"

With Crescent Rose in one hand and her scroll in the other, Ruby trudged behind. Reading maps wasn't exactly her forte. "Um, according to my thingy, our other thingy is, like, five thingies in front of our thingy."

Weiss groaned. "Ruby, darling, that tells me absolutely noth-"

In her last few milliseconds of clarity, Weiss Schnee wondered why, of all places, a root of some plant had to be sticking up just far enough for her boot to catch under it. And immediately following that thought, Weiss familiarized herself with the freezing cold qualities of running water.

**"AWFUL!"** She shrieked as she leapt back up and desperately jumped out of the relatively shallow creek. _"Ack! Ack! AAAGH!"_ she incoherently babbled as she shivered and shook her way onto dry land.

"Weiss!" Yang snickered, "_**Water** _you doing?"

For the second time in her life, Weiss abandoned Myrtenaster to the ground in exchange for grabbing Yang Xiao Long by her thistle-infested hair and pulling her into the frigid waters of humiliation with her.

"Getting payback, you uncultured brute!" she screamed back,laughing with triumph as they splashed one another.

Yang sat up, her hair now completely soaked, but conveniently rid of thistles now. "Okay, to be fair…" she muttered as she pulled herself up. "I guess it's no surprise that my puns made you wet for me," she shot back with a perverted grin.

Sensing Ruby's sudden surge of bottled passion, Blake gently tapped her shoulder and pointed towards a drinking Beowolf located across the stream.

_**Schklikt, klikt!**_

Ruby wasted no time with words. Unloading Crescent Rose, she brought the massive scythe down and discharged a single shot across the creek.

The rest of Team WRBY looked across to see that Ruby's shot had struck home in its skull. The decapitated beast made a sizable splash as it fell in and began moving downstream.

"Geeze, sis!" Yang whistled as she crossed back over to her teammates' side. "You could've said something."

Without a hint of regret in her tone, Ruby apologized, "I guess I'll just have to keep a better eye on my leader." To reinforce her point, she scooted closer to Weiss.

Yang had forgotten that her sister could display jealousy. It was an oddly warm feeling for her.

"You two had your flare guns with you, yes?" Blake asked, dreading the answer.

"Oh," was all the two could mutter as the quickly removed their thoroughly soaked devices.

"That leaves us with two flares," Yang sighed with disappointment.

"Good for you, you can do basic arithmetic," Weiss congratulated, her words seething with sarcasm. Taking up Myrtenaster in her left hand, she wiped off most of the undesirable mud that clung to the blade. "Now, let's get ready to-"

"Quiet!" Blake hissed as she stepped forward, arming herself with both blades of Gambol Shroud. "Something's…"

The words died on her lips as her shoes and stockings became soaked in the icy waters.

The three went silent and watched as Blake seemed to freeze in the stream. She scanned the other side, beyond the border.

Slow pitter patters became louder and louder until the bushes across the water were thrown apart as another Beowulf erupted from within and leapt into the air.

It took Blake less than a second to time her swing and gracefully slice the animal from head to tail.

Wincing as the halves splashed down, Weiss ordered, "Blake, get back!" She motioned for Yang to assume her position on the far left. "Split!"

Conditioned to obey, Blake fell back to their side of the bank and linked up with Yang.

Weiss and Ruby took up their positions to the right of them, making sure to keep enough distance for any wide swings.

"Everyone ready?" Weiss asked as she chambered her red dust cylinder. Before they could form an answer, she unleashed a sizable blast and set the immediate portion of the forest in front of them ablaze.

The flames balled up into the sky, and smoke fumed as the trees and shrubs were reduced to blackened ash.

And a hideous shrieking of several beasts slowly rose up.

Ruby was eternally grateful that she had had a light meal in the early morning hours, as the sights, sounds, and soon smells began to make themselves known.

Beowolves, with their entire bodies aflame, came charging out of the burning hell, death-wrenching gargles spewing from their mouths as they staggered and leapt at the girls.

Keeping their formation and plenty of maneuvering room, Team WRBY cut them down without flaw. Ruby executed a swift swing of Crescent Rose, effectively hacking two of the beasts to pieces. Weiss managed to skewer one through its heart. Blake slashed two into pieces, one with each blade of Gambol Shroud. And Yang punched the other two's faces off.

As the bodies splashed down, the water farther downstream would start running red.

"I don't think we can keep this up for long, Weiss!" Ruby warned as she wiped her brow. The flames were growing hotter, the smells were getting stronger, and the high noon sun wasn't helping.

"Concentrate!" Weiss ordered as she stumbled back whilst swinging at an undesired, burning Beowolf. Shrieking, hissing, and snarling, it staggered forward as Weiss tried to get good footing in the slippery and wet bank of the stream.

Blake, on Weiss's left, quickly turned 'round and cut the beast down for her leader. "Find your footing!" Blake warned as she resumed her position.

The beasts came in waves, amidst the flames. As the minutes ticked by, the dead slowly rose until the mud on the banks became red.

"This is a really bad spot!" Yang yelled as the fighting went on.

"We need to find better ground!" Ruby strongly suggested just as a mighty roar shook the woods.

Out came an Ursa, set ablaze just like its cohorts, but much greater in size and strength. Its howling caused the four to flinch, both in horror and fear, as the beast came tumbling forward.

Weiss found this out the hard way when she skewered its chest, driving Myrtenaster down to the hilt, but the beast fell atop her. The water rushed into her as she tried to breath, and the soaked fur of the Grimm clung to her face, blinding her.

Though mere seconds, it was agony, for Weiss could neither breath, see, or remove the water from her lungs.

Ruby leapt forward and held the front as Blake and Yang managed to pull the dying animal off of their leader, who quickly hacked and coughed away her pain.

"We need to _**GO!**_" Blake declared as she pulled Weiss to her feet. "We can't hold here!"

Weiss swatted off Blake's assistance. It had all come down to this, and she had two viable options: Conduct a fighting retreat or muster all of her strength and surge forward.

And Weiss never retreated.

The temperature plummeted into a chilling cold as Weiss chambered and discharged most of her cyan dust, carefully aimed at the heart of the flames.

And in that moment, all attacks ceased. The damage became clear. In just a few minutes, entire acres of forest had burned down. Several creatures that had not yet made it to the fight had been frozen in the blast, flames encased around their forms.

Sloshing towards the enemy's side of the bank, crossing over into Northern Forever Fall, and defying Ozpin's instruction, Weiss began to march her way inland.

"What are you _**DOING?!**_" Blake gawked at her leader's stupidity.

_**"SEIZING VICTORY!"**_ Weiss bluntly stated, brutally executing a Boarbatusk that had been caught in the icy blast, leaving only the head of the beast exposed. The creature was probably dead beforehand, but Weiss hadn't noticed the smaller details.

Myrtenaster's steel did not dull easily.

"Weiss, wait!" Ruby called as she leapt after her leader. She wasn't going to stick around in a freezing stream, and she certainly wasn't going to let her walk off and get mauled to death.

"Ruby, wait!" Yang yelled as she disemboweled a feeble, nearly dead Beowolf with a single, shattering blast. She wasn't going to abandon her sister. Not now, not ever.

"That brat will be the death of us!" Blake spat as she quickly followed after her partner. She couldn't be the first student to abandon her team in their first year. If she returned to Beacon, which was only a three day's journey on foot, alone; she would be discharged for abandoning her team. It was, after all, the very foundation of Vale's history. Blake cursed this history as she followed.

Ozpin minimized the screen on his scroll. "Let her do what she deems appropriate," he told Glynda, who was awaiting his decision. "The fact that she's crossing into the Northern portion is of no concern for us, despite it being an obvious violation of our terms and condition," he explained. "If she succeeds, history will show that she has done nothing wrong. If she dies, history will show the price of her mistakes."

Glynda scrunched up her lips, growling as she held her tongue.

And so Team WRBY marched deeper into Northern Forever Fall without reprimand. The echoing blasts of other teams grew fainter as they got farther inland. The battle had finally commenced as all teams began to confront a seemingly coordinated wave of Grimm. No one could have followed, even if they had wanted to.

Weiss Schnee never suspected a coordinated, seemingly planned ambush from animals, but she would eagerly describe the infamous day in her golden years.

_"I gave the order to charge inland, outside of our assigned lot for the sole purpose of striking a lethal blow to the enemy's heart, to eliminate the threat and bring an end to the threat of death for my teammates. It was a foolish and idiotic mistake that would have gotten my teammates killed, had it not been for our overwhelming prowess in battle._

_"We were peppered by attacks from the rear. They were fewer in number than our first encounter by the stream, but they were not random. In fact, their behavior seemed scheduled, even directed. Every few minutes, we were harassed by the lowly creatures, but it was not a battle. It was more like a gentle push that moved us farther inland. And we, being the mighty warriors we were, even at such a young and inexperienced age, met the challenge with ease._

_"We came to a clearing where we encountered the anomaly."_

* * *

"Gotta reload!" Yang loudly alerted her teammates as she scrambled to load a fresh chainlink of shotgun shells into Ember Cecilia.

"We're being herded like cattle!" Blake loudly informed her cohorts as she fired Gambol Shroud into the throat of a charging Beowolf. The blade stuck, and she fired again, yanking it out and back into her grasp as the beast fell dead.

"We can't use our semblance!" Ruby screamed as she stumbled backwards, desperately fending off three young Taijitu who were threatening to pounce with their venomous fangs.

"Ruby, dodge left!" Weiss shouted, barely giving the younger girl enough time to get out of her line of fire. Discharging a small blast of red dust, she effectively vaporized the three snakes.

A roaring Ursa forced Team WRBY to concentrate all of its attention on the charging beast. With the four of them working on one target, they easily reduced the animal to a mangled, bloodied, dying pulp. But they were losing strength, and more creatures were inbound.

Amidst the chaos of the moment, Weiss spotted a superior battle position. Just barely, through the thick of the wooded battleground, she could see a clearing.

Blowing the whistle attached to her watch, Weiss signaled for her teammates to break off their defense and follow her.

Quickly emerging from the forest, Blake gawked at the incredibly good luck that had fallen upon them. It was a small clearing, only a few hundred feet in diameter. But, at the very center lay a small hill. Barely twenty feet tall, the hill was at a steep angle, and it made for a very good position from which to fight.

Weiss quickly arrayed her team atop the hill, placing herself on the South, Ruby on the North, Blake on the East, and Yang on the West. They quickly reloaded their armaments for the impending attack.

The clearing was quickly enclosed as Beowolves, Taijitu, Ursa, and Boarbatusks savagely broke from the forestline. With jaws aching for flesh and eyes locked on their juicy prize, the creatures of Grimm rushed headlong towards Team WRBY's final stand.

Weiss herself would describe the moment in which they were surrounded, outnumbered, and nearly sentenced to death.

_"From our commanding position we easily disrupted the Grimm's oncoming charge. With a single volley of dust, my team and I could inflict explosive damage upon the tightly-packed animals, forcing them to scatter. With our ranged tactics, we managed to hold off what would amount to be an entire forest of hostiles for over ten minutes before sheer numbers finally closed the distance."_

Climbing over their dead, the creatures of Grimm threw themselves upon the team stationed firmly atop the hill.

Cold steel and explosive punches met the skulls and exposed underbellies of the front push, and Team WRBY showed no mercy, fighting with the utmost bravery, care, and passion.

_"Thought surrounded by Grimm with minimal room to maneuver, my team and I defended ourselves with the utmost care for several minutes as the Grimm pushed on our position. We killed dozens of beasts at the cost of only a few scratches. As their numbers dwindled, the struggle shifted towards our favor, and we cut them down."_

The minutes passed as Team WRBY ran out of ammunition. Exhausted from overexposure to suicidal odds, Blake's legs began to go numb as she decapitated a Taijitu before immediately swinging at a Beowulf. She couldn't use her semblance in this position and there seemed to be no end in sight.

It was a miracle that her bow had stayed on for the entire time.

Yang had felt fear in the past, but this was some sort of clarity in which she knew that death was only minutes, if not seconds, away. Ember Cecilia would run out of shells, and then Yang would be defenseless. She'd be torn to pieces, and the rest of her team would fall after her. Ruby, her precious and only sister, would be brutally murdered by animals.

She couldn't get mad. If she couldn't get mad, she couldn't use her semblance. She did absorb damage and convert that into extra energy, but if she couldn't get furious, she just couldn't tap into the reservoirs that unlocked with her blood red eyes.

Despite having the heaviest weapon to wield, Ruby maintained her balance and continued to hold her side of the hill. Thanks to her diligent and equally brutal training, her spirit was strong. Her leader was invincible. Her leader was perfect. They couldn't fail. Slicing off the head of a young Ursa, Ruby refused to leave Weiss' back undefended. But the hillside could only absorb so much blood. With it beginning to pool and runoff, Ruby found it difficult to maintain her footing, as did the other huntresses.

Weiss was beginning to realize the error in her judgement. Bolstered by pride and superiority, she had sentenced herself and her team to die a horrible death at the claws of animals. What stung even more was that she had fresh dust in her pouch, stored in her back pouch. She just didn't have enough time to reload, and her team couldn't cover her.

When Crescent Rose discharged her last bullet, Ruby frantically drew her flare gun and blindly fired it into the next wave, striking a Boarbatusk in the head and sending up red smoke that frightened the surrounding creatures.

The fizzle of the flare was not only audible, it was the only sound that Team WRBY could hear. Glowing red smoke quickly went up into the sky, surpassing the tallest of trees.

All of the Grimm lay dead, collected at the bottom of the hill, in pools of their own blood, guts, and moans. The dying would not go quietly, but they were the only ones remaining. Team WRBY stood victorious, having successfully fended off a small army.

Weiss took it all in. Her legs and arms were sore, cut and bleeding. Her chest ached and blued with bruises, her heart pounding like a hammer and racing. The ringing in her ears was slowly subsiding as the sound of silence finally overcame the sounds of the roars and shrieks.

At one moment, the team had been fighting for its very survival. In the very next, all of the opposition had withdrawn.

Yang, who had always been ready for a fight, who complained when combat sessions came to an end, who whined and moaned when Blake prefered to read rather than to spar, firmly decided, "I think I'll try painting."

Gasping for breath and wondering if she had misheard, Blake was broken from her trance and looked to her partner. "What?"

Collapsing on her rear, Ruby wiped her brow, ironically smearing more blood on her face. "We have plenty of red," she observed, panting.

Wasting no time, Weiss frantically broke open Mytrenaster and chambered a fresh, six cylinder round of dust. "Aura," she gasped as her legs finally gave out and she fell unceremoniously upon her rear. "Heal," she seethed, commanding her body as if it could hear her plight.

"Our clothes are ruined," Ruby laughed, still unsure of whether or not she was alive. "I can't believe we made it."

"Ruby," Yang giggled, suddenly becoming drunk with joy. Crawling over to her sister's quarter of the hill, she pulled her sister into a feeble hug, for her strength had yet to return. "You'll die of sugar deprivation before you die of old age!"

Looking over to her second-in-command, Weiss immediately noticed that Blake was the only one who could still stand. "Blake?"

She turned, revealing a bloody and nasty gash across her chest. "I… I feel-"

Scrambling to her feet, Weiss barely managed to call to the girl before she fell to her back and started rolling down the hill, Gambol Shroud abandoned.

"Ruby! Yang!" Weiss alerted the two as she flounced after Blake, who made it all the way down to the bottom and landed firmly amongst the dead and dying with a splash.

The sisters weren't far behind and quickly helped Weiss in pulling Blake out of the impromptu grave. Sacrificing her cape, Ruby used it as a bandage for the girl's midriff, so as to stop the bleeding and effectively apply aura.

"I don't think it'll be enough," Weiss hesitated, weighing her options. Even with the three of them, she didn't want to risk it. "We have to go back," she decided, firmly clutching Myrtenaster in her left hand.

The three conscious fighters froze when a new, strange voice spoke.

_"How kind,"_ she rasped.

They looked up to see a form, tall and slender sitting atop a monstrously large Ursa.

Time practically froze for the three girls.

_"Take your dead."_ Whether it was an offer or order, they knew not, but they gladly accepted the offer. _"I take mine."_

Weiss allowed her own aura to begin repairing her body. She didn't like this strange creature's tone.

The being dismounted, getting out from under the sun's rays and revealing herself in more detail.

Her skin was paler than usual, and her face was breaking out into some sort of white mess that resembled a Grimm's armored face, as if it were growing on her like a fungus. She was cloaked in the tattered remains of what appeared to be some sort of combat gear. It must have been a very gentle brown and gold at the beginning. Atop the figure's head were two very long, and at this point very dirty ears that were also growing the strange, white pieces.

"Rabbit," was the first word that came to Weiss's mind.

The Ursa quietly poked and prodded at a dying Beowolf whose whimpers were not cured by its cohort's licking.

Motioning to the nearly-touching scene, the figure murmured, _"Family."_ Turning back to Weiss, the figure deadpanned with a rasp, _"You killed most of mine."_

Her eyes were dead.

"Get Blake proper medical assistance," Weiss ordered as she got to her feet, careful not to slip in the blood. Her aura had restored enough of her strength to stand, thankfully, and it was restoring the rest of her with exponential speed.

The Ursa began to huff, frantically nudging the now silent Beowolf.

_"Shhh,"_ the figure soothed as she stroked the beast's fur. Staring into Weiss's eyes, she shook her head. _"Go. Never return."_

Weiss slowly connected the evidence of what she saw, what she had been taught, and what she deduced.

"You're one of Those Who Fell."

Weiss thought that they only came from Dragonia, the far off and completely hostile continent from which armies of Grimm came. That theory seemed to be debunked now.

Her breathing was ragged, just like her voice, but she didn't seem to have trouble speaking. _"You don't listen to me,"_ she stated, observing Weiss's defiant behavior. _"You are dangerous."_

Weiss's aura was working fast. She just needed to buy a little more time. Here before her was one of Those Who Fell. An anomaly to all of mankind. How did she Fall? Was she selected? Or was the process random?

Hands faithfully placed on Blake's wounds, Yang continued to channel her aura into her partner. "You command the Grimm?" she hesitantly asked with a gulp.

The figure studied the shorter girl, covered in blood. Her snow white hair was tattered and frayed, and her clothes were ruined. But her skin was healing quickly, and her stance suggested that she was feeling better than when they first met. She could also sense the girl's aura rapidly regenerating.

She was becoming a threat. _**"Leave,"**_ she ordered with growing dread and aggression.

Turning to the sisters, Weiss asked, "Has she stabilized?"

Ruby looked to her leader and desperately responded, "I think she needs a doctor, Weiss."

"Then we go," Weiss quickly decided. Motioning for the sisters to move first. "I'll watch our flank, while you two move Blake back to Beacon."

No objections were made as Yang took her partner into her arms, as if she were her bride. Ruby quickly gathered Gambol Shroud and staggered after her sister.

"I'm right behind you two!" she shouted as she slowly backed away from the strange being and her personal Ursa.

Team WRBY didn't get very far.

Weiss's shriek of agony rang through the forest, and Ruby was quick to return to the scene, thanks to her semblance.

_"WEISS!"_ she wailed, taking in the sight of her leader on her stomach, with her left leg cut open, and the perpetrator in plain sight.

"Ruby!" Weiss cried out, clutching her wounded leg. **_"HELP MEEE!"_**

Without hesitation, Ruby gripped Gambol Shroud and fired the blade towards her target. She hadn't used the weapons as much as Blake had, but Ruby had proven to be a quick study with her teammates' weapons.

The figure ducked; but Gambol Shroud proved to be faster, barely catching the figure's left ear and _ripping_ it from her head.

Ruby wouldn't accept it. Mustering all of her strength, she pull-fired another shot and wrenched the compact sword back, intent on taking the rest of the beast's head as it came back to her.

But the figure collapsed to her knees, letting loose a rippling cry of horrendous agony and unintentionally dodging the blade. She clutched her wounded ear, and blood quickly poured through her fingers as she staggered away from Weiss.

The whole forest seemed to come alive with howls and screams as Grimm of all kind unleashed similar cries of agony.

**_"DIIIEEE!"_** Ruby bellowed as she shot forward with her semblance, Gambol Shroud in its basic sword mode and determined to extract justice.

The figure bent down, still clutching her ear, and leapt high into the air, dodging Ruby's attack again.

In a mere second she was gone, followed by her Ursa and what sounded like the rest of the Grimm population; the whole forest echoed as the sound of hundreds of Grimm fled in the same direction, the North.

Throwing Gambol Shroud on the ground, Ruby cried murder at the lucky fiend. But she remembered that there were more dire matters to deal with.

"What happened _NOW?!_" Yang demanded in a panicked tone as she finally caught up with Ruby, the unconscious form of Blake Belladonna firmly in her muscled arms.

Ruby was already at Weiss's side. Without her cape, Ruby ripped her combat skirt off, using it as a bandage for Weiss's leg.

"Don't die, Weiss!" Ruby pleaded as she began applying her aura. "Please don't die!"

Weiss did not respond. Ruby couldn't tell her blood apart from the swamp of Grimm blood that surrounded the area.

Setting her partner down, Yang began to work on their newest patient as well, cursing the whole day that they had had the misfortune of waking up to. "That flare went up forever ago!" she exclaimed in frustration. "The other teams should be here!"

And, right on cue, the sounds of other teams slowly alerted the sisters to their long awaited reinforcements.

"I'm not leaving you," Ruby whispered as she continued her efforts. "I'm _never_ leaving you."

* * *

Blake found the setting sun to be a very calming scene. It was behind glass, but it was still beautiful. She was happy that they had been placed in a room facing the West.

"Awful," Weiss groaned as she refused to eat another bite.

"C'mon, _Weeeiiiss!_" Ruby pleaded as she offered her leader another bite of the sandwich. "You need to regain your strength."

Turning her head like a toddler, Weiss refused. "One bite was enough, Ruby. I won't eat this atrocious hospital food."

Yang did a double take, looking up from her painting magazine. "That's one of your own sandwiches," she stated, thinking that Weiss already knew that.

That got a chuckle out of Blake, who was lying in her own hospital bed on Weiss' left. "I suppose you were going to find out, sooner or later," she sighed with a smirk, quickly adjusting her bow, glad that the hospital staff was legally obligated to keep certain secrets to themselves.

"Fine!" she huffed. "One of _you _can pack our rations from now on!" she proclaimed with a wave of her hand, dismissing the issue.

A brief knock on the door drew Team WRBY's attention. Ozpin entered, followed by Glynda Goodwitch.

All four were in bandages, but Yang and Ruby had mere scratches that were probably already healed; the sisters were allowed to leave at their leasure. Blake and Weiss were practically covered in casts and bandages; and they'd be kept in bed for a few days.

Looking past the startling sight, Ozpin stated, "I hear the patients are doing well." as he and his cohort chose to stand in the far left corner of the room. "And a good thing too, the Vytal Festival is this coming October. You wouldn't want to miss it."

Closing the door behind them, Ruby returned to her chair beside Weiss's bed. "We've been hearing it too," she chided.

With a nod, Glynda explained, "We won't keep you for long. We just need a brief recount of what happened out there. A more detailed one can be made later."

The four collectively groaned.

"This has been the worst day ever," Yang declared. "Of all time."

"A brief report it is," Weiss decided on the spot. Failing to keep the agitation out of her tone, she reported, "Let's see, we got the the border of our zone. Grimm attacked us. We pursued them, got surrounded, fought our way out, made a _fantastic_ last stand-" she paused.

Looking to Ruby, Yang, and Blake, she honestly stated, "All of you fought with the utmost bravery and saved my life. I can't thank you enough for this service." Receiving two smiles and a reserved nod, Weiss continued, "So, we made our stand, and the Grimm suddenly backed off."

"That's when you encountered her?" Glynda prodded as she made notes on her scroll.

"If you want to insinuate that she's a human being," Weiss quipped with snark. "It was a hybrid between man and beast."

Ruby added with disgust, "Grimm junk was growing on her face. It was gross."

"Still, she spoke with us," Yang spoke. "Not much, she just wanted us to leave her _'family,'_ but yeah. She could talk."

Sighing with discontent, Ozpin ran a hand through his hair. "We have very little data on the issue, but from your words, it would have to be one of Those Who Fell."

Motioning towards her left leg, firmly wrapped in a cast, she spat, "Well, she certainly fell hard upon my leg!"

Blake, having remained silent and reserved, suddenly asked, "Ruby, could you go over what you heard and saw? One more time?"

Unsure of Blake's doubt, Ruby cautiously answered, "Weiss said she'd cover us. Yang carried you to the south. I grabbed your weapon, and I was about a hundred feet when I heard Weiss scream."

Brow furrowed, Blake fell into discontent thought.

"Don't be like that, Blake," Weiss ordered with a scoff. "I can tell you're thinking something else, so why don't you spit it out already?"

Eyeing the casted leg, Blake muttered, "Why would she strike your leg, if your back was turned? Why not your spine, or your neck?"

Rolling her eyes, Weiss suggested, "You could hobble back out there and ask the fiend yourself!"

"Enough," Ozpin deadpanned. "Bickering won't solve anything. Let's finish this up, and you two can get some rest."

Happy to oblige, Weiss continued, "I was struck in the leg. I heard Ruby and asked her to help me." Looking to her partner, she asked, "Didn't you grab the ear before we came back?"

"It's being analyzed in the lab," Glynda answered. "It's quite a trophy. No one has ever been able to bring back any pieces of Those Who Fell."

Weiss took Ruby's hand in her own. Patting the younger girl, she declared, "You have Ruby Rose to thank for this find."

Relaxing in her own chair, Yang took in the scene. "I'm so proud of you," she whispered below her breath. She quickly cursed the dust that had gotten into her eyes.

Smiling, Ozpin revealed, "On the contrary, all four of you will be thanked rather profusely."

With the four girls' attention on them, Glynda explained, "The four of you not only survived the day and killed the most Grimm, but you encountered and fought off one of the most feared beings known to us."

"This day marks a new chapter for Team WRBY and Beacon," Ozpin declared. "What I'm being told right now is that Forever Fall has been abandoned by the Grimm."

There was a shocking pause. Forever Fall, the hotly contested area, the region that was the most threatening to all of Vale, could not simply be abandoned, not after decades of it being occupied.

"How?" was all Weiss could ask.

"To put it simply, we don't know," Glynda confessed. "It's only been a few hours, but our scouts report absolutely no activity in the Southern Half. They've yet to thoroughly scout the Northern Half, but Vale's extended territories are reporting a sharp decrease in Grimm activity."

"Hence why we think they have withdrawn entirely from the region," Ozpin ended.

"What of the anomaly?" Weiss asked, trying to sit up. Her various bandages confined her for the most part, unfortunately. Ruby's pressing hands weren't exactly helping either.

Shaking his head, Ozpin answered, "Nothing. It would seem that she has fled with the rest of the Grimm."

The leader grimaced. "Very well," she sighed with reluctance. "Was there anything else?"

Smiling, Ozpin shook his head. "Nothing else for now. Your wounds will be completely healed by the end of the week, thanks to a wonderful combination of aura and modern medicine."

"You'll have a feast to look forward to," Glynda congratulated the four girls as the two began to make their exit. "It was originally intended for the celebration of everyone who made it-"

"One team didn't make it," Ozpin corrected.

"...almost everyone who made it," Glynda reworded.

Yang got to her feet and opened the door for them. "Can't we stay here?" she feebly requested.

Ruby clutched Weiss's hand. She refused to leave. "Of course we're staying! Our friends need us!"

"What your friends need is rest," Glynda countered as she motioned for Ruby to come with them. "And they won't be getting any if you and your sister are here to keep them up all night with banter."

Ruby hesitated, her stance frozen.

Patting the younger girl's hand, Weiss gently spoke, "Ruby, it's for the best. I'd love to have you with me, but it's time for you to go."

Weiss would be perfectly safe for the night, but Ruby was scared. "Weiss? I… I don't-"

"Shh," she whispered, placing a finger on the girl's lips. "If you behave, we'll go anywhere you want to when I'm well again. We'll spend the whole day together, how does that sound?" she bargained as she removed her finger from Ruby's face.

Yang found the exchange adorable and creepy.

Blake felt that the two needed their own room.

Ozpin and Glynda had seen this a million times before. It just kept getting more cliche and lame.

Reluctantly, Ruby Rose rose from her seat with a sad sigh and agreed to Weiss's terms.

As the door shut with a click, Blake glared at her leader. "You nearly got us killed," she seethed with venom.

"I know," Weiss immediately responded, returning the glare. "And I've already apologized for my actions."

"We almost DIED, Weiss!" Blake reminded her with a raised voice. "If you want to get yourself killed, fine! But Ruby, Yang, and I almost got disemboweled, and all because YOU couldn't just stand your ground!"

"I know!" Weiss shot back. "I'm going to make it up to all of you, I promise!" she quickly amended.

"I don't care about a 'sorry' gift!" Blake spat in disgust. "Don't try to buy me off, Weiss! Tell me why I shouldn't disband from your suicidal leadership and leave!"

"Because I **_NEED YOU!_**"

Blake fell silent.

Panting, Weiss drew in a deep breath to calm herself. "I need you, Blake. I need you, Yang, and Ruby."

Anger resuming, Blake began, "That doesn't justify-"

_"I KNOW!"_ Weiss snapped back. "I wanted us to be the best on that blasted exam, and I nearly got us killed for it, I know!" Swallowing hard, Weiss continued with a shaking voice, "But I care about the three of you, Blake. I'm not going to do anything stupid like that ever again, okay?"

Blake remained silent. This was too good to be true. It went against all of Weiss's character and ambition.

But Weiss looked sick to her stomach. This couldn't be an act.

"The three of you can be magnificent huntresses, the strongest that the world has ever seen," Weiss reasoned. "Today proved that to be true." Look over to the door, Weiss weakly admitted, "And I want to be with the three of you for the rest of my life."

Blake hadn't expected those words from such a girl. "Coming on rather strong," she commented.

"But it's true." Running a hand over her face, Weiss confessed, "I never had friends until Beacon. I have never had support, I have never had love, I have never had anything like this until now!"

Staring out at the setting sun, Weiss muttered, "I don't want to be alone anymore."

Blake let out a scoff.

Turning to look at her second-in-command, Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Blake?"

Gracefully adjusting her bow, she muttered, "That shouldn't be a problem, seeing as Ruby is head over heels in love with you."

Weiss's lack of reaction implied that she already knew that.

Looking her leader in the eye, Blake asked, "Are you going to date her?"

Sighing, Weiss looked back to the sun. "I think so," she quietly answered.

Letting out a sigh of her own, Blake watched the sun with her leader. "Okay."

Blake couldn't see it, but Weiss Schnee would fall asleep with a small, genuine smile at the notion of dating the hyperactive, bubbly, and just-plain-adorable Ruby Rose.


	5. Act One: Forever, Forward

**The Act One adventure concludes three weeks and four days after Volume 1, Episode 16.**

* * *

With the exception of leaves and twigs being crushed under her boots, all was quiet in Forever Fall. With Gambol Shroud at her side, and higher senses to aid in her defense, Blake Belladonna was without fear this time. Yang could punch things or hit them with Roman's cane, so she would be well-supported anyways. Low red rays of the rising sun found their way through the densely packed and shrouding trees, and the two young women basked in their light as they traversed the terrain.

Yang had begun scouting the lower half of Forever Fall, concentrating on the zones that the other teams had been fighting in. Using her semblance, Blake had scouted the North a few hours. There had been no signs that any other team launched an offensive campaign along the top half of the region.

So she turned back and resumed her search alongside Yang. They had found empty shells from various firearms, broken and shattered blades from various weapons that had been strewn about from the other teams, and various trinkets. But there had been no hostile life in the sectors that they had managed to cover.

"This is pretty nice," Yang observed as she gently strode alongside Blake. "Maybe I'll try painting it later."

"You were serious?" Blake asked, turning her head and eyeing the blonde. "About taking up painting?"

"Totally!" Yang answered with a smile. "There's so much cool nature and junk, but I've spent most of my life punching things, so I haven't really gotten to notice much of it." Nodding to herself, she declared, "It'll be nice. Not fighting, for a hobby."

Blake hadn't seen her partner in such a relaxed and calm state for a while. It was certainly refreshing. Looking around, she offered, "I think you could paint on location. The Grimm do seem to be gone." Smirking, Blake added, "And if worst came to worst, we'd just have to form a defensive perimeter around you."

Laughing, Yang slapped her hands together and decided, "I'd be okay with that!" Looking around, Yang recapped as she shuffled through leaves drenched in morning dew that did not come from a mountain. "It's only been four days, but it certainly looks like it's been abandoned." Various birds and insects frolicked about in their respective trophic level, but there was not a threat to be found for Team Bumblebee.

There was a chuckle. "Unless your exclamations of realization call the Grimm back," Blake quipped as she and her partner came across yet another scene of struggle. This time, the rounds of spent ammunition and broken blades were accompanied by a Goodbye Doggy(™) backpack, slashed across the bottom, its contents spilled across the ground. The owner must have been caught from behind, as there was stained blood on both the bag and the ground.

"Oh please, it's six in the morning!" Yang stated as she and her cohort knelt down and began to go through the contents. "If the Grimm really are led by a teenage girl, they'll be sleeping in until noon," she declared as she poked and prodded at the materials with Roman's cane, finding nothing that could indicate what happened.

"Says the teenage girl who's up at dawn," Blake observed as they examined the brands of candy bar wrappers, shredded comic books, and other junk. "Besides, you only saw what she looked like. We don't know if she was as young as you suggest."

"I'm only up because I'm partnered with a cat," she shot back as she uncovered a peculiar item that sent her memory on a jog. "Who got restless and wanted to go play private eye because Weiss was attacked by one of Those Who Fell."

"I'm neither a cat, nor a human playing private eye," Blake defended as she tossed aside shredded comic books and candy bar wrappers. "I'm just looking for evidence."

"Right, because that's not playing private eye," Yang chuckled as she stumbled across something of interest. "So, if one of Those Who Fell didn't attack Weiss, how did she get that nasty cut on her leg?"

"I'm just wondering why a deadly hybrid would attack the lower portion of her left leg of all places," Blake grumbled in annoyance at the fact that her uncertainty had been laughed at for the fiftieth time. "Her back was turned, why not strike a more lethal zone like the neck?"

"And coming back out here where we nearly got mauled and eaten is going to solve this mystery how?" Yang gently requested as she idly gazed up into the morning light.

"Her leg's already healed. I can't examine the cut," Blake murmured more to herself than to her partner. "Then again, they had already bound it when I regained consciousness. There wasn't time to begin with."

Yang quickly forgot about her partner's strife as she discovered something of interest. "Oh, hey! It's one of those White Fang fashion statements!" she remarked with realization. "These were falling out of the sky, back at the docks! Like, every White Fang thug was wearing one of these around their necks!"

Her remark caught Blake's curiosity, and she discarded the heart-shaped locket of Lie Ren and looked up to see Yang holding something high in the air. The morning sun wasn't offering much light. "Do tell."

Yang nodded, her mind distracted by the object. "But this one is all black. The others were white," she stated as she offered the object to Blake.

It was a necklace with a small pendant hanging on the end, a circle with a horizontal bar cutting through it vertically. A sideways 'M' attached to the left side and cut through to the very center of the circle.

"They're all the same, weird shape. Is it special for faunus?" Yang asked as Blake took it into her own hands.

Nodding, Blake acknowledged, "Faunus who are proud of their identity and heritage wear these, or carry them on their person as a show of that pride. When the White Fang rose to power, many began wearing white ones, signifying their sympathy or direct participation with the group."

"Oooh," Yang murmured. "And the black ones show that you're against the White Fang?"

Pocketing the pendant, Blake smiled. "Obviously, not many faunus will be found with the black ones, let alone those who won't even wear them. A lot will come under fire for simply being a faunus, much less telling the world that they're proud to be one."

Yang's smile slowly faded. Looking down, she observed, "Must be tough, all that persecution over how you look."

Pursing her lips, Blake stood up. "It's unforgiving, and people like Weiss only make it worse."

"I know, I know," Yang grumbled as she joined her partner. Attempting to avoid the neverending topic, she observed, "So, we've been at this for three hours now. I don't think we're going to find the girl again." Looking to the north, she commented, "Our little, celebration parade won't start until eleven, so we won't have to get ready until ten." It was the first parade that Vale had held in over thirty years. Things would be rusty.

Looking back to her partner, Yang stated, "We can hang out and junk until then, unless you wanna do more scouting."

Sighing, Blake checked around for any signs that could point her in the right direction. "I don't think there's anything here for me."

Patting her on the shoulder, Yang offered, "You got me, right?"

She smiled. That was good enough. "I do." Motioning towards the south, Blake asked, "Shall we head back?"

The blonde eagerly accepted her offer.

As the two began to walk back, Yang made light conversation and asked, "So, what about you? Any hobbies? I mean, we're top dogs now. We can relax and do other stuff besides train."

Shaking her head, Blake denounced, "I doubt it. Weiss will probably want us to work even harder."

Pouting, Yang continued, "But if you could, would you take up a hobby?"

Chuckling, Blake looked to her partner as they walked. "Would you like me to paint with you?"

"You could paint _me_," Yang quipped with a wink. "I'm joking! Don't worry!" she laughed as Blake managed to find her breath again.

Nodding, Blake decided, "If we have time? I think I might take up writing."

* * *

"Forty-seven!" Ruby announced with a smile. "You're almost there!"

Frowning furiously, Weiss Schnee clenched her teeth as she slowly lowered herself to the ground. "One would think I had three-fiftieths left to go," she muttered as she struggled to raise herself up again.

"C'mon, forty-eight! If you have enough energy for the sass, you've got enough for fifty!" Ruby laughed as she encouraged her partner to push to the finish.

Her knuckles were as pale as her combat skirt, fists made so tightly. But, she kept her arms behind her head, and she lowered herself down. "Forty-nine!" she gasped as she pulled herself back up again.

"Hey, what good am I if I don't get to keep count?" Ruby asked with a pout.

"To keep my feet in place!" Weiss bluntly reminded as she managed to complete her fiftieth pullup.

Ruby let go of her partner's feet, previously kept in place so that Weiss could perform her crunches more effectively. "You'll be able to grind cheese with your abs at this rate," she commented. "Don't die on me yet, I'll get you some water."

Weiss didn't notice the absence of her partner. She was occupied with curling up into a moaning ball and remaining still on the cold floor of the gymnasium. "I swear, the things I do," she grumbled in between gasps for air. _"Sweet lord, my stomach's on fire!"_

"Here! here!" Ruby quickly returned to her leader's side. Pulling her up into a sitting position, Ruby ignored the damp, sticky, icky sensation that Weiss's workout clothes presented. "Just drink," she ordered as she held out the bottle of water.

"I'm not a baby, you dunce!" Weiss snapped as she took the bottle into her own hand and pulled away from Ruby's motherly care. Of course, when she drank too quickly and began to have a coughing fit, the image of independence shattered.

But Weiss froze, recognizing her behavior. Looking up to the standing girl, she proclaimed, "Ruby, I apologize."

The younger girl did a double take. "That's rare," she realized as Weiss stood up.

"You and I are partners in this team," Weiss reminded as she offered Ruby her hand. "As the leader, I must be courteous and caring to my teammates, especially when a bright and intelligent woman like you is only trying to help me with a simple workout routine."

Her smile returned, and Ruby accepted the older girl's hand. "You've been under a lot of stress since the Final Exam, and your wounds only finished healing last night. I understand."

The two stood tall and proud, albeit covered in sweat and panting. Granted, Ruby stood taller, but Weiss stood prouder. And sweatier.

Weiss let go first. Scoffing, she revealed, "That's only because my father decided to call and 'congratulate' me." Grimacing, she muttered, "My personal relationship with him is shaky at best, but that is a personal problem." Gazing into those grey eyes, she continued, "And you're not involved at all. I should not be taking my pent up frustrations out on you."

This woman was truly spectacular in Ruby's opinion. "Well, I don't help just anyone work out, y'know." Awkwardly chuckling, she revealed, "I think you're pretty cool, Weiss."

Smiling, the team leader raised an eyebrow and asked, "Maybe you think I'm just a little more than cool?"

There was a sudden redness about the girl's face, despite the fact that she now refused eye contact. Coughing, Ruby asked, "Back at the infirmary, you said we'd go do stuff together alone. Are we still going to do that?"

Many things plagued Weiss's thoughts, but at that very moment, only one question was on her mind. "As a date? Or as friends?"

And that very same moment was for Ruby to decide if she would handle her future like an adult, or like an infant. Correcting her slouch, she chose to grab hold of her destiny. Weiss did not tolerate infants. She could barely tolerate most adults.

"As a date, Weiss." Ruby held her breath.

And Weiss wondered how anyone could resist such a peculiar and unique girl. "Ruby Rose, I accept your offer," she responded with a nod. "Name a time and place. We'll clear the calendar and do whatever you want."

Being an adult could wait. Ruby chose to express her overwhelming joy with ecstatic giggling and leaping up and down, despite having done a multitude of leg exercises.

"But right now!" Weiss interrupted the girl, firmly planting her hands on her shoulders and bringing her back to the ground. "Right now, we need to finish up and get changed. We have an appointment to keep, and it's-" a brief glance at her watch, whistle still attached. "Twenty-seven minutes till ten."

Ruby groaned. "So now it's my turn?" she asked, dreading the answer.

Very astute for fifteen years of age. "Precisely. Now, let's see if you can do thirty crunches," Weiss wagered as Ruby sat down. "Come on, slow, deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth."

"Yes, ma'am!" Ruby agreed as she performed the first of many.

"And don't forget our Standard. We'll want it for the parade," Weiss reminded her as she began to count her cohort's progress.

The streets of Vale were lined with the crowds. Tall, short, thin, wide, all had assembled for an event that had never been seen before. Every window on every level of the buildings that lined the streets were also filled, as everyone wished to get a good look at the impending celebration, the first of its kind in thirty years. Excited chatter, murmurs of wonder, and raw energy flowed through the distorted ranks. News had spread quickly of Team WRBY's bold and unthinkable actions, and the glorious consequences that had ensued, despite efforts to contain the rumor.

In hindsight, Ozpin and Glynda decided that hiring mercenary hunting teams to perform top-secret scouting assignments might have been a lapse in judgement on their part. Or as Glynda would have it known, just Ozpin's part.

Regardless, the event had been quickly organized to celebrate such a commemorable milestone for Vale.

First came the trumpets, the band of Beacon as they were known amongst the faculty and students. A typical tune for a prideful parade, and their formation was far from professional. The occasional student had to swerve back in line, and marching while playing was something that they had never done before. The poor drummers had to stay behind, as only the mobile instruments could be exercised.

Then came the cheerleaders, dressed in Beacon's colors of grey and black, the young men and women who danced for support were also unaccustomed to performing on the march and had only two days to train for the event, just like the band. As such, they came up with a makeshift solution: Wave the fluffy balls while walking, rush ahead of the band and perform their aerobatics and somersaults and such, then walk slowly and fall back behind the band as they came marching on.

It was cringeworthy. But, it was the first time in three decades; and Beacon would get used to holding parades.

In the middle of the parade marched Team WRBY, in their iconic diamond formation and in their iconic attire. Weiss Schnee, always on point, walked with Myrtenaster at her side and her chin held high. Taking it all in, she acknowledged that her efforts had finally paid off, and she could relax with a gentle smile. Everything had went smoothly.

Still in the back, Ruby had nothing to complain about. The workout high was still going, and the electricity from the parade was certainly thrilling to the young woman. Maybe it was all that adrenaline, but more likely: It was her toned muscles that allowed her to carry the Team Standard with ease. Cast iron had never felt so light.

Extended to its maximum, the snowflake towered over all. Its four colors of white, red, black, and yellow glowed in the near-noon sun and inspired awe. The very sight of the Standard elected cheers and bellows of praise for Team WRBY as they came within sight for the crowds that eagerly awaited.

Blake brought up the left flank, as per usual. Gambol Shroud on her back, she held a diplomatic wave with her left hand but remained stoic with the rest of her body. Hiding in plain sight always made her nervous.

And holding the right flank with Ember Celica, Yang was Yang. But this time, she was Yang with a fancy cane taken from her fallen enemies. "Take it in, girls!" she laughed as she continuously bowed, nodded, and sporadically motioned her cane towards the crowd as Team WRBY marched in the midst of the parade. "I love you too, random citizen!" she shouted to assumedly a random citizen.

"I've never seen so many people cheering before," Ruby declared in awe. "And they're cheering for us! They're actually cheering for us, of all people!" she realized as a few held up signs thanking her team.

"After what you did, I would think so!" Weiss complimented as she waved to the masses. "You've earned recognition, Ruby."

"Just watch for the projectiles," Blake warned as she dodged an incoming bouquet of flowers. "Some people can get a little too excited about their idols," she observed as two faunus girls shrieked their heads off and held up posters proclaiming their love for Weiss Schnee.

And it wasn't platonic love.

"Tch," the heiress muttered as she turned her head away from them. "Unbelievable."

Ruby increased her pace, making sure that she was nice and close to Weiss.

"Let's hope Ruby doesn't have a tail," Blake muttered. Weiss either didn't hear her, or she chose to ignore her. Blake arched her neck and took one last look at the two girls. One wore a black pendant around her neck and had fox ears. The other wore no necklace, but she did wear a large sunhat.

Team WRBY marched on with the rest of the teams behind them, disordered and awkwardly as the rest of the parade. Of course, they received acknowledgement for their actions as well. Flowers and praise were thrown to them out of genuine appreciation, but Team WRBY had clearly won the majority of the masses' affection, as it was they who had just made history.

"You know what would make this even better?" Yang baited as she blew kisses into the audience. "Hear me out: We get a bunch of Grimm, alive, and we ride them through the city!"

Weiss actually gave a chuckle at the idea. "Not riding them, but maybe you could build a cage to hold them." The idea would stick with Weiss, much to Blake's surprise.

And so they marched on, making sure to give all who had gathered a glimpse of the first team to successfully drive back the malicious forces that had plagued humanity since the beginning. Weiss, Ruby, and Yang were the very definition of good health at the end of the parade, but Blake found her legs to be in a lesser condition. She was used to covering long distances with her semblance, not having to rely upon pure muscle.

Ruby might have been in the same condition. Luckily, Weiss had refused to let her skip leg day at the gymnasium.

Taking in the fresh air, Weiss saw the faces of those who finally felt security in an age of unrelenting terror and death. She heard their voices, their support, appreciation, and love. The masses that had gathered to hear her sing were certainly greater in number, but the people gathered now cheered with more valuable reasons.

She decided that she prefered these cheers to those of the arts.

* * *

_"I never got a confession out of Weiss, per say. But one need only to look at the facts. Vale slowly saw a shockingly exponential boost in its economy. Faunus and human alike flocked to this supposedly sacred kingdom where we were supposedly beginning to push the creatures of Grimm back. The success provided Beacon with a flood of new recruits, eager to join the ranks; and the rest of the city blossomed. The economy grew, the population grew, and the wealth it generated was all conveniently owed to Weiss Schnee._

_"But there were other teams deployed alongside us that day, and they all fought just as hard as we did. The success of one girl was glorified, when in reality hundreds of students made that day possible. Right from the beginning, Weiss herself declared that our team would either succeed together or fail together, but she took the majority of the credit for herself. I felt disdain when she eagerly and hypocritically claimed sole credit for what was a unified, coordinated effort made by all of Beacon."_

* * *

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Weiss asked as she leaned into Ozpin's office. It was a rather predictable setting, she quickly realized. Of course, there would be a green rug with grey curtains and the darkest wood for his desk and chairs. It was his color scheme, after all. Her heart slowly began to increase in pace.

Stirring his coffee, he solemnly nodded. "We did, yes," he answered, motioning for Glynda to follow Weiss in and shut the door behind her.

"Well, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to get back to the banquet as soon as possible," Weiss stated, glancing at her watch and admiring the craftsmanship of the whistle attached to it. "My team might destroy the school in my absence," she humorously observed as Glynda moved to Ozpin's side.

Smirking, Ozpin stated, "That watch is a fashion faux pas, Miss Schnee."

Chuckling, Weiss confidently revealed, "It does the job, sir. I got tired of shouting in combat."

"Then I suppose it's rather clever," Ozpin conceded. Leaning back, the older man stated, "But I called you in here for a more serious discussion."

Slowly raising an eyebrow, Weiss calmly asked, "Do you always speak so ominously?"

He shook his head. With a gentle press, he activated a simple hologram interphase on his desk and pulled up word documents between the both of them. Skimming through the paragraphs, he curtly asked, "You remember these, don't you, Miss Schnee?"

Weiss groaned. "I do." Sighing, she nodded. "Yes, they're the very same files that I accessed two weeks before the Final Exam was administered."

"Your curiosity got the better of you, perhaps?" Ozpin speculated as he briskly flipped through the pages detailing the exam. "I was quite surprised to learn that Weiss Schnee has eyes and ears within my own school. We're dealing with that right now."

"While most teams were preparing for a written exam, your team was the only one to hit the vacant gyms," Glynda reminded her as she brought up footage of the four girls walking on abandoned walkways and working out in an empty gym. "That was our first sign that something was wrong."

"I know," Weiss curtly declared.

"So you also know that cheating of any kind will not be tolerated and will result in immediate expulsion." Ozpin set his mug down, making a clunk louder than was usual. "I don't appreciate cheaters, Miss Schnee. I also don't appreciate bribes, so I'd advise you refrain from doing anything else foolish."

He saw her right eye twitch, just once.

"Miss Schnee, you cheated. You got caught." A few flicks and motions through the screens, and he pulled up a series of numbers and code. "The evidence is right in front of you. The files were accessed by an unknown ID and unraveled by a foreign decrypter." Frowning, he confessed his knowledge. "Your Scroll possesses the very same files, and deleting them after you were done with them is inconsequential."

"We could recover and pull them up in less than a minute right now," Glynda curtly informed the young girl, offering no sanction.

"So I'm being expelled?" Weiss asked, her voice faltering ever so slightly. She'd studied for this. She'd trained for this. She had fought, clawed, and bitten for this; and she would not lose it so easily. "The greatest student your school has seen? Kicked out and launching an investigation on the whole facility?"

Ozpin smirked. He didn't offer a chuckle, but he did confess, "I find that amusing, Miss Schee. But your ignorance of legal matters aside, I don't think so."

Leaning forward, he revealed, "You won't be expelled."

Weiss felt her heart beat again, pounding within her body.

"On the contrary," Glynda huffed as she opened up a map of Northeastern Vytal. "You and your team have made history. You've expelled the Grimm from Forever Fall. Our ancestors battled for survival and carved out small portions of the earth for their kingdoms, but you are one of the few to annex territory since."

"But it must be secured," Weiss pressed. "You'll need to deploy forces and build an infrastructure to sustain the territory, or those animals will reclaim it."

"And I'm sure your father will be eager to help us with that project," Ozpin assured the young woman, much to her sharp intake of breath and clenched fists. "But you have more pressing matters to deal with, Miss Schnee." Ignoring her discomfort, he added, "Like not cheating anymore."

"You'll make an incredible huntress," Glynda complimented as she zoomed in on Forever Fall. "Assuming you don't get yourself killed, that is." She studied the map, but she continued to lecture, "And that little gamble you took to get the most kills is solid proof that you're willing to endanger your team."

"That has to stop," Ozpin deadpanned as he practically glared into Weiss's soul. "If you get yourself torn apart by Grimm, that's one thing, Miss Schnee." Lacing his fingers together, he finished, "Getting others killed for your own mistakes is another matter. It will haunt you for the rest of your life, if you have any sense of decency."

"I thought this was a team effort," Weiss attempted to suggest.

"This is an _equal_ effort made by everyone, Miss Schnee," Ozpin strongly corrected. "That means equal opportunity to do well and not die!" he flatly stated, emotion seeping into his tone as past memories came back to him. "What is equality?" he demanded.

"Equal opportunity," Weiss answered correctly.

"_**NOT** _equal results. You and your teammates were given an equal opportunity to perform in Forever Fall, and if they had been thinking for themselves, they would have stood their ground and let you go North all by yourself," he declared with no room for argument. "What you did violated your teammates rights, and they almost paid with their lives." Glaring down at the girl, he stated, "You won't do that again, not while you're in my school."

"Obviously, we can't micromanage your team," Glynda begrudgingly admitted as she switched over to Basebook and scrolled through all of Yang Xiao Long's comments on the parade and the banquet that she was currently enjoying. "Three attempts at a food fight?" Glancing at her watch, she muttered, "It's only been fifteen minutes."

Ignoring the holographic photos of the blonde throwing food, Ozpin continued, "Miss Schnee, I make exceptions for my students. Those who show promise can be shown leniency if necessary. But my gifts have been, are, and sadly will be squandered by some of those students."

Closing the hologram, Glynda adjusted her glasses and revealed, "One student forged papers to get into our institution. We found out on his second day, but he was given a whole semester to prove himself. During the Final Exam he got himself and all three members of his team severely wounded because of simple incompetence, and while it's sad that he couldn't get his act together, we have standards to hold."

"And they're not cast iron snowflakes," Ozpin clarified. "We watched him, and he failed us. You're going to be watched even more than before. I've seen people like you," he revealed with no hint of empathy. "They grow more confident with each new success. When they do make a mistake, it's at the most crucial time; and they collapse." Consume the rest of his coffee, he suggested, "It would behoove you to curb your ambitions and play it safe for now. If you don't, everything you've earned may be swept away in your untimely death."

Weiss believed that she had held up well under the pressure of the duo. Calm, deep breaths and gentle reminders to herself that she was still in charge of her team were all she needed to keep from losing her nerve.

But playing it safe wasn't how she had gotten to where she was now.

She bowed her head. "I understand, sir."

"I certainly hope so." Conversations such as these were ones that Ozpin dreaded. But, they came with the job. "You may return to your team," he released, motioning to the door. "And please enjoy the festivities."

Weiss was quick to leave. There was a rapid pace in her step, and her heels came down harder than normal on the expensive marble. Her knuckles were white, and her face bore a scowl. They had found her out, but they had reacted in such a complacent and utterly bored fashion, choosing to lecture her instead of act, that she believed being severely insulted was the only way to react to them.

The dining hall doors were thrown open with furious force as she stormed into the banquet, frustrated and insulted. She'd enjoy herself just to spite the old man.

"Weiss!" Ruby called out with excitement, seeing her leader return to the land of endless food, drink, and merriment. Her forced and unexplained departure had been most untimely.

Cheers erupted from the other students, and many called out as well. Her name became a chant, and all of the students celebrated the return of the girl who had supplied them with so much Grimm meat, made the news, and rewrote the history textbooks all in one day of fighting.

Salutes, shouts, whoops, and applause swept through the masses, just like the parade. The scene before Weiss was all too familiar, and she curtsied out of habit.

The R, B, and Y quickly joined her, and Yang eagerly hoisted the girl onto her shoulders. Weiss frantically kept her skirt down and balanced herself, shrieking as Yang hauled her away to the front of the room.

"Here's the girl we all know and love, everyone!" Yang bellowed with a laugh. "Let's hear it for Weiss!"

The traditional "Hip, hip, hooray!" for their celebrity erupted as glasses and utensils were thrust into the air. Chanting her name, drunk with success and merry, and reveling in the celebrations, the younger generation thought little more of things.

Unloading the Team Standard, Ruby held it high, right next to her illustrious leader, drawing out even more praise and rallying greater cheers as the crowd saw the signal of success for them, the standard of perfection.

Blake stood with her team, clapping in a reserved but ready fashion. She disagreed with her leader's rambunctious actions, and she disagreed with the racist attitude. Weiss was, after all, an heiress to a company that relied heavily upon slave labor, over eighty percent of whom were faunus. But, she had to relent; the girl had paid for this triumph with her own blood and sweat, not with a few thousand lien.

She looked down in her hand. The faunus pendant gleamed on the half facing away from Weiss, but the half facing towards her was as black as night. Clenching her fist, Blake threatened to crush the piece of jewelry. She relented, and chose to pocket it again.

Atop Yang's shoulder, Weiss easily absorbed the fruits of her success, and Ozpin's warning was disregarded as swiftly as it has been given.

"That evening, it was just the four of us. We talked the hours away in our room, and we all made plans for our own, private celebrations. Weiss and Ruby scheduled a date, much to Yang's surprise and delight. She tried desperately to set things up, but the two love birds decided on a trip to a factory of all places. Ruby had a strong interest in mechanics, mostly due to the love and care she put into building Crescent Rose. Weiss casually mentioned that the Schnee family had a few workshops in Vale that specialized in that sort of thing, specifically robotic arms and legs for amputees. Ruby leapt at the chance to see their design and manufacturing process; so Weiss pulled a few strings and made a delightful date for them.

"Yang refrained from spying on them. She believed her younger sister to be capable of handling herself and let her go free. It was actually quite adorable, I must admit. However, the mood was dampened by Ruby's unrelenting chatter about the prosthetic limbs that she got to see.

"While they were on their date, Yang and I went into the bustling city and managed to find some painting supplies and books for her. She didn't give up on her pursuit of art like I had expected. She didn't hit the ground running and burn out either; she made an effort with the water colors and produced an adorably awful portrait of me. The colors had mixed, the paper had creased, and the painting looked nothing like me. But I loved it. It pains me to admit that I lost the piece in the fire.

"But that was all in the first day. We still had thirteen more for recreation before the . Weiss and I had choice words with each other. She revealed a stressful upbringing that I now know was the cause of her discrimination towards faunus. I kept most of my own truths from her, but I told her of my upbringing on the streets and various gangs. We didn't reach any sufficient agreement, but we did agree to work with one another; we both did hold a substantial amount of respect for one another.

"The Final Exam marked a turning point for Team WRBY. Weiss' status in the social life was boosted. She wasn't daddy's little girl in Vale anymore; she was the leader of a team that spearheaded an operation that took Forever Fall away from the Grimm. It was an honor that no one else had ever attempted to earn. Weiss capitalized on that in the years to come, and we didn't have any legitimate alternatives other than to tag along. Ruby went with Weiss, Yang went with Ruby, and I so wished to not be alone anymore. In hindsight, I would have had a better life if I had simply left and started over again.

"There may have been no victory in strength, but Weiss Schnee begged to differ."


	6. Act Two: Take Five

In loving memory of Monty Oum, creator of "RWBY" and so much more. At the age of thirty-three, we lost him far too early. As long as there's one person watching any of his work, looking up fan art, or reading fan fiction his legacy, creativity, artistic genius, and memory shall live on through that one person.

**The Act Two adventure begins shortly before Volume Two, Episode One. **

* * *

The school grounds of Beacon were calm for the late August morning. The stray bird called out for a companion. The humble butterfly went about its business with sampling the nectar of equally beautiful flowers in the various gardens. A very faint backdrop of humming and bustle could be heard, as people flocked about in their journeys to and from classes. Idle chit chat could be heard on the main pathways, as many would wonder how difficult their homework was and how creative they could be in doing the minimum whilst still passing.

Some would even glance off to the open recreational "parks" as the students referred to them. In reality, they were little more than grassy rectangles spanning a two hundred meters in length and one hundred in width. The usually calm green was disrupted on that morning, however, by a blonde, busty woman in her iconic attire who stood over a canvas; and she was accompanied by a prone figure dressed in red and black. Two inanimate objects accompanied them: the Team Standard, a cast iron snowflake of red, white, black, and yellow that was planted firmly in the ground; and the Bumblebee, Yang's prized motorcycle of black, orange, and yellow.

"How goes the journey to artistic enlightenment?" Ruby asked as she gazed into the dull blue sky. There were a few stray clouds, but not enough to give her imagination a fun time.

"Well…" Yang trailed off as she continued to dab at the canvas. "I should probably get a different easel," she commented as she glanced at Ruby, her Bumblebee motorcycle, and back at the canvas. She was only twelve days old in the arts, but she was determined to work at it.

Her sister was prone in the grass, her eyes to the skies. Her blood red, hooded cape spilled over the lush, green grass and made for a very obvious red-green contrast that felt like it wouldn't be that hard to paint. And it wasn't exactly "hard" it was just "not very easy" for her. Which made total sense for Yang Xiao Long.

"Why's that?" Ruby wondered, turning her head to the left to see the wooden tripod and rectangular canvas blocking most of Yang from her.

"It keeps moving on this grassy surface," Yang stated with a hum as she demonstrated with a few aggressive pushes. "I could probably just sharpen the legs later… probably with Gambol Shroud," she chuckled to herself.

"Or you could get three Myrtenasters and use them instead!" Ruby suggested with a laugh as she moved her head back to the sky. As Yang's own laugh died down, Ruby theorized, "Weiss would probably die of shock though, if she saw you using such an elegant weapon for a painting."

"Yeah…" Yang admitted with a slight frown. "Ruby?"

"What's up?" she sighed in contentment. Here she was, her homework done, her two week celebration break going strong, and her beloved sister painting her in a portrait. What could be better?

Hesitating briefly, Yang asked, "Do you think Weiss has any downsides?"

"What, like anorexia?" Ruby attempted to understand. "I'd say she's pumping too much iron and doing too many bench presses to be anorexic," she reasoned, remembering the night before when she and Yang went head to head in an arm wrestling match.

Both came off with red faces and sweaty brows. Yang won, but Weiss made her earn that victory.

"Well, I was thinking more like she's biased against Faunus," Yang decided, getting right to the point. "The way she generalizes them, acts towards them. I know she's had that view her whole life, but ever since she became a person of power she's been a bit more… much," Yang attempted to analyze while avoiding insulting her sister. "Does she socialize with any of them here?" Yang offered, hoping to persuade Ruby to consider the issue.

"You've got a point," Ruby admitted without any tone of concern or worry. "But she had a rough upbringing, Sis," Ruby justified. "She might not like 'em, but what harm is she doing? She'll straighten out with time; it's not a big deal."

Yang frowned as she continued painting. Ruby seemed to be missing the point. But she had made a few of her own. Smudging yellow with black, she curled her lips and glared in frustration. That would surely make the colors do as she demanded.

"And besides, look at all the good she's done!" Ruby offered, recalling the amazing feats. "Conquering Forever Fall, whipping us all into academic excellence, and stopping a gang of dust criminals! And we've only been here for one semester!" she practically advertised in amazement. Looking to her older sister, she decided, "Weiss is doing a lot of good with her life, sis. I don't think a childhood grudge is going to ruin everything."

Smiling, Yang managed to add a few dabs of red to her sister's black hair. It went well with the blue sky above her, although it was raining down a bit in the portrait.

Grimacing, she noticed that some of the clouds were smeared. It was better than the portrait of Blake, though. The Bumblebee, however, was another mess. Quite literally, Yang decided. The yellow and black had become mixed, despite her thinnest brushes and smallest strokes.

"Looking good," Weiss observed.

Yang looked to her right. Weiss and Blake hovered near with interest, both dressed in their iconic attire. Blake stood behind Weiss, eyebrow raised towards her artistic efforts. Weiss looked at Ruby more than the painting.

"Hey, Blake!" Yang greeted warmly with a smile. The golden-eyed woman was always a pleasant sight.

_"Hey, Weiss!"_ Ruby greeted with enthusiasm, almost leaping up to meet her. Stopping, she asked Yang, "Are you done? Or do you need me to pose more?"

"I'm pretty much done!" Yang declared with pride, stepping back to look at her work in greater detail. "Come have a look!" she offered her younger sister and cohorts.

Ruby leapt up and ran directly for Weiss, only to fall short of embracing her and awkwardly stumbling into a high-five. She was, after all, in the presence of her friends. It was only proper to behave appropriately, even if the two knew that she and her leader were interested in one another.

Weiss chuckled as she gave the girl her high-five. Ruby wasn't a sporadic girl anymore. Weiss had succeeded in changing her into a better, more collected girl.

"You didn't add our Standard?" Weiss wondered, noticing the complete absence of her team's pride and success.

"I didn't want to try painting four colors in such a small space," Yang quickly fabricated.

Gently smiling, Blake took a better look at the painting. "You splotched the clouds," she observed, much to Yang's amusement.

"It's- um… it's raining," she covered. It was a failed enterprise.

"Right!" Weiss laughed as Ruby took her hand in her own, all in a discreet fashion of course; Weiss had very frizzy sleeves that offered cover from prying eyes. "And I'm the queen of Vale!"

"We should notify Queen Valens the Thirteenth before dethroning her," Blake suggested with a chuckle. "I like it a lot, Yang," Blake complimented as she observed the splotchy figures.

"I agree with Blake," Weiss admitted. It was rather funny as they had just been arguing about how Weiss barely acknowledged the faunus students who praised her in the halls while she gracefully entertained the human students. "But what's the yellow and black mess? It looks like a wasp," she commented.

_**"AHAHAHAHA- NO."**_ Yang looked directly into her leader's soul. "My motorcycle is the Bumblebee, not the wasp. And it's not just yellow. It has orange and lightish red on it too," she stated as she motioned to her mechanized pride and joy.

"What?" Weiss legitimately wondered as she took a closer look at it. "It's more like a wasp than a bee."

"Weiss," Yang warned as she placed her brush in the cleaning cup next to her tray of water colors. "I'll show you how weak a wasp is compared to my Bumblebee," she challenged with a smirk.

Letting go of Ruby's hand, Weiss placed it on her hip. "I'd love to see just how graceful your mechanized battering ram is compared to the ferocity of my Myrtenaster's stinger," she countered.

Taking up Roman's cane, her prized trophy from their fight at the docks, Yang audaciously struck a pose. "You're not the only one with a big, long, hard pole in need of a good swinging!"

"Ack!" Weiss bleched in disgust. "Forget it, you win this round, Yang Xiao Long," she fully conceded as she stepped back with hands in the air. "I surrender to your perverted mind."

"Aha!" Yang laughed as she pulled Blake to her side. "Justice and sex always prevails!" she declared with zealous ambition.

"But we're all virg-"

_**"AAABADABADOO!"**_ Yang ignored as she handed her cane to Blake and started packing up her equipment. "Ruby, why don't you run along and be innocent forever?" she playfully suggested.

"Funny you should mention that," Weiss mentioned as Ruby retrieved the Team Standard. "I have comprised a list of errands we all will be running today!" she announced as the two sisters stood in front of her and her second-in-command. "Yang, you remember suggesting we all get some body armor for future fights?" she asked.

Yang lit up as she nodded. "What are we gonna get?" she asked as Ruby extended the Standard to its maximum height and leaned on it, content to let the ground absorb its weight.

"Well, Blake and I did a little online shopping, and we found ourselves some torso armor that should do the job nicely," Weiss informed her teammates.

"And we believe that it's a set that everyone can use," Blake reassured the two sisters.

"I think it's a good time to get some," Ruby agreed, recalling Weiss lying in the aftermath, mortally wounded, and that _**thing** _standing over her. "But if we try to use our current tactics with some new, fancy, heavy armor things won't end well," she realized with concern.

"That is why we'll be purchasing four sets of Segmentation Armor, model three," Blake assured as she showed them a few pictures on her scroll. "Very lightweight, less than twenty pounds," she revealed. "And it can withstand an Ursa!"

"How do they know that?" Yang asked.

"A squad of infantry sharpshooters weren't sharp enough with their targets last month," Blake continued, backing her word up with pictures of the aftermath.

"Oh," Ruby and Yang murmured in uncertainty.

"Yep," Weiss confirmed with a nod. "None of them survived. Luckily, their test armor survived! Fully intact, just with a lot of dings and scratches!" Weiss cheerfully reminded them. "Which is exactly why I took the liberty of commissioning four sets be fitted for us," she informs them.

"But the model threes aren't even supposed to be out until next month when the Vytal Festival starts. They're going to do a while tech show about it," Yang stated, unsure as to how Weiss could possibly-

"Yang, I practically bleed lien," Weiss explained with a smile. "I know people where I need them, and I can put money where I need it."

Yang wasn't one for bribery, but it was going to get them some body armor, and that meant Ruby would be safer. She'd let it slide.

"So Team Bumblebee shall head for the address I've designated on our scrolls," Weiss continued as she looked down at the life-consuming technology. "They shall get their measurements taken for Segmentation Armor Model Three. Ruby and I are going to take inventory and order additional dust and other necessities."

"Why doesn't Ruby have to get her measurements taken?" Blake asked, curious as to how her leader's love interest wasn't being required to take part in the activity.

"Ruby and I already have our measurements taken," Weiss explained. "You'll find I've forwarded you the details. Give them to the clerk, and they will see to it that we both receive the proper size."

"Wait, when did you get my measurements?" Ruby wondered, much to Yang's surprise.

"When we toured the robotics factory," Weiss revealed with a smile. "You had your measurements taken in jest to find out what size limbs you would need, remember? I kept the numbers. You haven't gained weight, have you?" she asked with a smirk.

"Pfft, like you'd let that happen," Ruby scoffed as she rolled her eyes.

Blake found it resourceful that Weiss had kept that information. It was still somewhat creepy for her, though.

"Question!" Yang announced. "Will this armor accommodate these?" she asked as she squished her generous bosom. "I don't want any deformities or whathaveyou," she complained.

Having all the right answers for the day, apparently, Weiss confirmed, "You and Blake will also be purchasing some body binders for the four of us," she informed her partner. "They will flatten your chest area without doing any damage to your breasts, and you'll be able to wear the constricting armor comfortably."

"Heh," Yang chuckled as she shook her head. "Way to take all the sexy out of my figure."

"Although, one of us probably doesn't need a binder," Weiss joked as she massaged her own lack-luster chest.

Yang failed to contain her amusement, much to Ruby's embarrassment.

"The Segmentation series has always had the 'Auto-Fitting' feature," Blake informed them. "The model twos allowed users to gain up to ten pounds in their size, and the user could operate without being impaired. We technically don't need binders, but they'll help us be more comfortable in them."

"Because you can't bend metal for boobs!" Yang explained with a charismatic glow.

"So, the three of us technically don't need them, 'cause our boobs aren't big enough to cause a problem?" Ruby clarified. Upon receiving confirming nods from Blake and Weiss, she stated, "So you two literally talked with each other about Yang's boobs."

Blake choked on her tongue.

Weiss did a double-take as she comprehended Ruby's flawless logic. "Well…" she trailed off in guilt. "When you say it like that, it sounds perverted."

"That's because it _is_ perverted!" Yang laughed.

"She has a point," Blake informed her leader, the humor of the situation becoming funnier to her.

"Okay, people!" Weiss decided as she clasped her hands together, determined to end the conversation about Yang's boobs. "We all know what we'll be doing. Let's get it done by noon, and we can enjoy the evening until our usual six PM sparring matches!" she firmly announces. "And for this one, I want all of us to practice solely with each other's weapons."

"I call dibs on Myrtenaster!" Ruby exclaimed as she retracted the Team Standard and holstered it to her back.

"No way, you got Myrtenaster last time!" Yang denounces. "I want a turn!"

"No one ever wants Gambol Shroud," Blake observed with a pout.

"That's because we all suck at using it except you," Yang laughed as she patted her partner on the back.

"I'll decide who uses what when the time comes," Weiss affirmed, ending the discussion. "You're free to leave whenever you wish, just have the tasks done by five. We'll warm up and spar at six, then eat at seven. Understood?"

Team WRBY mobilized for the day. Yang's painting equipment was packed up, and her canvas secured in their dorm room. Team Bumblebee went out first on the Bumblebee, as Blake had finally gotten used to riding a motorcycle and trusting Yang to keep her safe.

* * *

"She purrs like a cat," Yang sighed as she gave her baby one last pat before dismounting. Parking in the bustling capital city of Vale was no small feat, even though over sixty percent of the populous relied on public transportation. Yang had mastered it, though; and it worked in Blake's favor as she wasn't a fan of the downsides to public transports.

"You have a strange cat obsession," Blake observed as she carefully removed her riding helmet and made sure that her bow was still on tight.

"I love cats!" Yang explained with glee. "C'mon," she beckoned as they placed their helmets on the Bumblebee's handlebars. "This is the shop. We'll get what we need and then have some fun, okay?"

Blake smirked as she followed the floating trail of golden hair. Glancing back at the motorcycle, she reminded herself that Vale boasted a very low crime rate, especially since it was the capital city. Vacuo was quite the opposite.

Maybe Queen Valens XIII just made for a better head of state than King Valentinian.

She turned back and continued as they entered the shop. The two found themselves amidst glass casings filled with dust, weapons, and a few pieces of body armor on display.

"Welcome to Henry Herold's Hunting Hub!" an old man with grey hair and wrinkled skin exclaimed as best he could as he popped his head up from behind the main counter, one that boasted pure dust crystals. "You'll find the finest equipment any mercenary huntress or militia recruit could ask for! Might I ask if you're a resident of Vale or have come from Vacuo to seek your fortune?" he wondered, hoping to charge an extra fee on outsiders' business.

"We're here to purchase four sets of Segmentation Armor, Model Three," Blake explained with a smile as she eyed the wares of the expensive shop. Average civilians wouldn't enter these types of stores, as both price range and career were out of their league.

"Aha! Haha!" the old man chuckled to himself. Shaking his head, he explained, "Dearie, I'm afraid we won't be getting those in until well into January. Possibly even as late as March! You won't even get to see them until the tech show in the Vytal Festival!"

Turning to the goods above him, displayed with pride, he offered, "But we do have other options!" Pointing to the scantily-clad mannequins that boasted pieces that offered more sex appeal than protection. "You probably aren't interested in the men's section," he decided. "But we have all of the latest in eye-catching, distracting good stuff!" Turning back to face them, he asked, "So what'll it be? Cheap and sexy, or sexy sexy?"

Yang shoved her scroll into his frail hands, showing off the receipt that Weiss had forwarded to her. "We made reservations," she explained, her patience used up.

"Ah, I see," he humbly apologized, realizing that these kids weren't the typical wannabes that he usually had to wait on and serve. And with more and more people coming into Vale, his business was experiencing more of the wannabes. "Come with me, and we'll get some measurements. I'm sure I can find one in your size, miss," he stated to Blake. Turning to Yang, he confessed, "I might not have one that can hold all of you, though…"

"You let us worry about that," Blake stated. "Lead the way."

* * *

"And you're sure it won't short out?" Weiss impatiently demanded, leaning on the glass counter that housed a variety of watches, scrolls, and even a few retro-fashioned pieces like cameras. "I did specifically request it be made waterproof."

"Yes, yes, of course!" the woman reassured her customer, her fox ears flattening as she attempted to calm the young human. "I tested it on myself! It works perfectly," she revealed with a false smile.

Weiss examined her new wrist watch. The simple whistle that was attached to the side had been given an upgrade from basic metal to an electrically amplified device that used a small processor to run subsystems. To call it high tech would be an understatement.

"Looks good to me, Weiss," Ruby complimented as she eyed the small red and blue lights that shone around the components. It was the fanciest watch she'd ever seen, and Weiss could make anything look good.

Her right arm felt no difference in weight, as Weiss had gained quite a bit of muscle on it. Still, she decided to trust the faunus' word. "Very well. If I have any issues though, you'll be seeing the Schnee Company in court," she warned as she removed her scroll.

"Of course," the woman agreed, far more eager to finish the transaction. "Now you requested a very unique comission, Miss Schnee," she explained as she pulled up her holographic interface. "I had to turn down a few other commissions just to get yours done by the requested deadline."

"For an electrical engineer, you charge quite a bit," Weiss grumbled as she started transferring the lien. "But I can't argue with results," she admitted to the faunus. "Three hundred lien as a downpayment, and here's the remaining seven," she finalized with a few graceful swipes of her scroll.

The woman sighed in relief as the numbers went up in her privately-managed funds. Her children would be fed, and the rent would be paid for a while with this. Her client's rude attitude was already forgotten. "You have my card, Miss Schnee," she said with a smile, hoping for future commissions. A repair shop could only hope to make so much in a month, and the capital city saw higher taxation than other cities in Western Vale.

Weiss left with a grunt, and Ruby followed as she mouthed a "thank you!" to the faunus. She knew her leader could be a bit rude during interactions. "So you now have the fanciest watch in the world," she announced as she and her leader entered back into the bustling plaza of the mall. "What now?" she eagerly asked. Out of sheer muscle memory, she reached for the Team Standard but immediately caught herself. Carrying it indoors had led to one too many incidents of collateral damage.

The surrounding area of marble white with glamorous shops and stalls, illuminated by natural lighting coming in from the six story glass dome above was forgotten by Weiss as she eyed her exotic piece of equipment. Using her left hand to switch the device from red to blue and back to red. She then turned it off, satisfied with the results and eyed the actual clock part of her wrist watch. "Now we get something to eat," she decided as she took Ruby's hand in her own. "What do you want?" she asked as they continued on their way.

"Oh, hmm…" Ruby wondered. They were in the biggest shopping center of the capital city. There was a bit of everything to be had. "You're not worried that it might be unhealthy?" she wondered. Weiss was very strict about the team maintaining a healthy diet.

"Today, I'll allow a deviation," Weiss decided with a smirk. Looking to her, she asked, "What do you want?" Surely Ruby wouldn't want for too much. After all, they had had a big, healthy breakfa-

"Well…" she thoughtfully considered as she looked around the bustling metropolis of eager consumers, their diversity not lost to her. "I think that, if we're going to treat ourselves, some Boiled Hydra would be nice," she confirmed, recalling the few, rare times she was able to have it in the past.

Weiss paused. "...you want boiled Hydra?"

"Pretty please," Ruby nodded.

"As in, the multi-headed sea snake Grimm that tends to kill the hunters who fish for it? The kind that's a Grimm, and therefore must be kept alive until cooked to ensure that it doesn't get wasted? That kind of Hydra?" she attempted to verify.

"Well…" Ruby slowly withdrew. "If seafood isn't your thing? We could have-"

"Oh, no, no!" Weiss quickly interrupted. "No, I didn't mean it like that, Ruby," she explained with a reassuring smile. "It's just that I've only known you to eat… normal food," she admitted. "I was expecting to get a request for ice cream or something," she laughed.

Ruby took her leader's hand and pulled her along. "C'mon, I can treat you," she tempted with a wink.

"Don't you even think about it, Ruby Rose!" Weiss warned as she took the lead. "I said I'd buy you a nice lunch, now come on!" she mockingly scolded as Ruby matched her pace.

The dying shriek of a caged Hydra being boiled alive might have been interpreted as animal cruelty to anyone unaccustomed to the world of Remnant, but for its inhabitants it was the music of a delicious meal, a prized commodity, and one less creature to kill.

* * *

"And the total comes to forty-five thousand, four hundred and seventy six lien," the old man eagerly informed his two most valuable customers. "Tax included, of course!"

"Don't do us any favors, _please_," Yang muttered under her breath as she made the necessary transfer of lien from Weiss' account into the shop owner's.

Scoffing, the old man added, "I'll tell the Queen."

Blake looked herself in the mirror. The armor was a gentle grey, somewhat similar to Ruby's eyes. As the name suggested, the armor was an advanced combat piece that segmented into a compact unit that covered her shoulders, chest, stomach, and back. She would be able to take quite a few hits with it. To her approval, it was light weight as advertised weighing in at about eighteen pounds. Blake could still maneuver with the armor on, so she had no concerns about wearing it into battle. And for a final accessory, the lower plating on the back was strongly magnetized to allow both hunters and militia to carry their weapons. Blake decided that this was a worthwhile investment of Team WRBY's leader's private funds.

"I hope Weiss knew it would be this expensive," Blake commented as she firmly pounded on her armored chest.

_**THUD, THUD.**_

"Hey, if she wants to return them, she can return them," Yang decided as the transaction finished, and the man offered her a location to ship the four sets to. Yang inputted their dorm room. "And we'll get these by the end of today?" she asked.

"Guaranteed!" the old man affirmed. "A pleasure doing business with you both!" he thanked with glee, and he had every reason to feel so happy, as he was now a much wealthier businessman. Even with the hefty fifteen percent cut for Queen Valens, the old man would be left with almost forty-thousand lien. Today was a perfect day for him.

Blake reached into the collar piece of her new armor and found the desired button. In a second, the Segmentation Armor had folded itself back up into a metallic spine that rested on her back, and the shoulder pieces rested on top of her shoulders, making for a big, grey "T" that hooked around her.

Blake's bust was a proportionate size for her figure, so the armor accommodated her well enough without a body binder, but she hadn't realized the minor constriction until she resumed moving without it.

"Sounds good," Yang decided as her partner returned her fourth of the purchase. "Let's go, Blake!" Yang excitedly yet firmly requested as she stalked out a little faster than Blake was used to.

"What's up?" she asked as the two reentered the bustling city street, and amidst the shouts, cries, laughs, and bellows of the surrounding people, she managed to notice that Yang was in a more serious mood.

"I just wanted to get out of there. Don't really enjoy it when people are staring at my chest," she muttered in discontent. "And he took his sweet time measuring me in particular."

"I agree that he was being a pervert about the situation," Blake admitted, recalling the way he ogled her as he took measurements. "But you put your breasts on display," she cautiously observed as the two moved to the Bumblebee. "Do you expect everyone to just not stare at them?" she asked.

Smirking, Yang huffed, "No... no I don't expect that from people. I like to dress like this for myself, Blake," she explained as she pulled out her scroll and turned to face her partner. "I don't want to have to ask myself, 'Will I draw unwanted attention with this?' if I want to wear something; I just want to be able to wear what I want, y'know?"

Nodding, Blake observed, "You're allowed to wear whatever you like, Yang. But I'm allowed to oggle you if I happen to see you."

Laughing, Yang held up her scroll horizontally. "Well, I have no problems with you looking," she chuckled. "Say cheese!"

"Wha-" Blake slammed her eyes shut as the flash went off. "Nice one," she grunted as the city slowly came back into focus. The people were bustling up and down the streets, devices in hand and plans to act on. Many were frowning, but a few wore smiles as everyone enjoyed the benefits of a growing economy, thanks to Weiss pushing the Grimm out of Forever Fall.

"A little commemorative picture!" Yang reasoned, throwing her arms out and magically avoiding contact with the passing peoples. "But I get what you're saying," she reaffirmed in a more serious tone. "I'll get used to the occasional pervert, 'cause I'm not changing this wardrobe," she decided with a chuckle as she uploaded the photo to Basebook.

Blake's own scroll went off with a buzz, notifying her of a new message. Opening the device, she began to tab through the contents.

"What's up?" Yang asked as she checked her map for the nearest clothing store that sold body binders. "Besides Papa Schnee's cholesterol when he sees that his daughter just spent almost fifty-thousand lien," she chuckled.

"Our next move," Blake informed her as she passed her scroll to her partner.

* * *

Light music emanated throughout the restaurant's spacious and classy environment, just how Weiss Shnee liked it. Dabbing her lips ever so delicately, she leaned back into the half-moon booth of luxurious black leather that she and her date had been gracefully provided. "I must say, I've never had Hydra before," she finally admitted, much to Ruby's surprise. Sipping on her tea, she considered it to be a delicacy worth the price.

Managing to not spill her white wine, Ruby wondered, "I would think that a person of your class would have food to match."

Chuckling, Weiss explained, "We ate what our father requested of the cook. Most of the Schnee wealth went right back into the company." Laying down her cup, she observed, "And I would think that someone of your energy would've had a taste of wine by now."

"Well, that's different," Ruby chuckled as she used her fork and knife to divide her last piece of Hydra, currently undergoing the twenty-four hour process of withering away into nothingness. "I only just finished my first semester at a hunting academy," she reminded her partner as she speared a few pieces mushroom and tomato to go with the bite. "The whole 'age-restriction' thing doesn't apply to boiled Hydra," she informed the older girl as she began to chew on her second-to-last piece.

"Fair enough," Weiss decided as she took in the sight of their table. Empty plates with the rare scrap showcased their lunch of a salad appetizer, their main course of Grimm, Ruby's empty wine glass, and Weiss' own cup of peppermint tea, still warm and soothing. "How about the wine?" she asked, jokingly insinuating that Ruby would take to the bottle and destroy her social life.

"Haha, very funny," Ruby responded with a smirk, preparing to finish off the meal. "It's pretty good," she decided as she took a sip. "It definitely complimented the Hydra, but if I had to drink something on its own, I'd go with milk," she critiqued.

Chuckling to herself, Weiss nodded. "Of course, I understand completely." Turning to her right, she saw their waitress approaching.

"Will that be all, huntresses?" the woman asked, having already verified their passes for alcohol. It was a social norm to address hunters and hunters in training with additional respect, after all. "Perhaps a refill? Or some dessert?" she offered, polite but with indifference.

Weiss looked to her standard-bearer. "What shall it be, Ruby?" she offered. The lien made no difference to her, and their waitress had made for pleasant company.

Raising an eyebrow, Ruby studied her leader for a moment. She was willing, and her comfortable position suggested that she was able. Today was a day of rest and relaxation, so why not enjoy it to its fullest?

Motioning with her left hand, Ruby requested the dessert menu just as Weiss' scroll went off with a buzz. As the younger girl selected an appealing image of a dark chocolate cake layered in fudge frosting and served with a side of ice cream, Weiss opened up her scroll and began to read her latest email.

"Do you have strawberry ice cream?" Ruby asked the waitress.

The woman nodded. "Two or three scoops?" she answered, giving the well-respected girl some options.

Ruby looked to Weiss, currently tapping away at her scroll. "Better make it three," she decided.

"Of course," the woman understood. "We'll have it out in a few minutes," she informed the two ladies as she moved for the kitchen.

The leader's smile outshined Ruby's tenfold. "Enjoy yourself, Ruby," she pleasantly said as she began to email Blake. "Because we're going to be taking a trip downtown tomorrow night."

"Why's that?" she asked, unsure of the sudden shift in mood.

Revealing the contents of her scroll to Ruby, Weiss stated, "I plan on stopping Roman Torchwick from breaking out of prison."


	7. Act Two: From the Flames, Part A

**The Act Two adventure continues.**

* * *

Staring up into the starry night sky, Ruby Rose took in the cold, sharp air, stretching out the segmentation plates on her light-armor torso piece, gunmetal grey like her own eyes. Her new body binder comfortably flattened her chest and allowed the armor to fit snuggly. Balancing on her tiptoes, she sat on the rooftop with her team.

It wasn't the capital city they were in, but rather a smaller metroplex that was closer to the mountain ridge than to the Central Sea, the great body of water that divided Vale, Vacuo, and Dragonia. The smaller population of just six thousand mountaineers made for a desolately quiet night, a nearly forgotten experience for the young Ruby. She and Yang had left the Extended Territories when they were both in their single digits.

Her reminiscing of the past and gazing at the fragmenting moon were shaken as the quiet argument between her girlfriend and her sister came back to life in the dead of the city night.

"I named her 'Bumblebee' because she _looks_ like a bumblebee!" Yang argued to her leader as all four girls remained crouched on the building rooftop, a flat surface roughly forty meters wide and just one of several buildings that crowded the narrow street they were staking out.

"Bumblebees are fuzzy insects that pollinate and give life to the world," Weiss explained, demonstrating her basic knowledge of entomology. "Wasps, on the other hand, are demonic scourges that infest our planet, much like your mechanized battering ram," she epicly burned, much to Blake's amusement.

"Save your anger for the fight," Blake cautioned with a smirk as she delicately smoothed her bow, reassuring herself that it wouldn't come undone in the upcoming fight.

"Blake and I got here faster than you and Ruby did _because_ of my_ 'mechanized battering ram'!_" Yang retaliated, shocked that Weiss would use such rude language to demonize her beloved creature of metal and power.

"A mechanical failure in otherwise completely dependable public transportation is of no use in justifying the use of such a dangerous vehicle," Weiss postulated, making sure that no simple words were used in this very rhetorical debate that they insisted upon holding in the early AM hours of the first of September.

"Ice Queen," Yang quipped, ignoring the fanciful words. "I can assure you that this delusion of yours will change once I get you to actually ride a motorcycle."

Scoffing, Weiss asserted, "You'll rename it to be 'The Wasp' before I ride it."

_**"Because it's not a wasp!"**_ Yang whisper shrieked in utter frustration at the girl's stubborness.

"You two are going to give away our position," Ruby warned with gritted teeth. The 'conversation' had been going on far too long, and her patience was quick to run out as Blake noticed, eyeing the death squeeze Ruby was giving Crescent Rose

"Agreed," Blake quietly decided as she patted Yang on the back. Moving to the left, she stated, "It's almost three in the morning. If the White Fang are going to break Roman out of his holding cell, they're going to have to act fast."

Scooting to her right, Ruby made room for Blake to squat beside her. Looking to her right, she asked Weiss, "This guy who informs you, can he be trusted?" she asked, unsure of whether or not he might have given their leader bad intelligence.

"I pay him well enough. In fact, I pay all of my employees well enough," Weiss grunted as she resumed looking at the street below them. The holding zone was four floors of confinement cells below ground with a single story exterior on the city street. It was lit, indicating that the night watches were doing well, but the various pawn shops and other buildings were completely dark. And only a few lone figures had been walking the streets.

"Yeah, they're probably running late. Maybe even got cold feet," Yang offered as she moved back a few meters to perform her hourly splits. "I hate sitting still," she grunted. "I can't imagine how Roman must feel right now. He's probably praying for just a few years of mandatory agricultural service," she offered with a smirk as she slid to the ground, stretching her legs out into a straight line.

"Considering the amount of lien and dust he's stolen, I wouldn't be surprised if Queen Valens herself sentenced him to a decade of military service on the Northern Border," Weiss stated with confidence.

"He'll get what he gets," Blake grunted. Roman wasn't the real threat, she theorized. He might get a reduced sentence if he ratted out the chain of command, but even then he'd be looking at seven years of hard labor in the fields or the forts. It was a waste of resources to simply confine criminals; their hands could assist the kingdom like any other person.

Growling impatiently, Ruby asked, "Didn't the message say they'd be going in 'hard and fast' to break him out?"

"If they're going in hard, I certainly don't see or-" Blake caught herself. "...ordinance powerful enough to constitute hard."

Looking to her partner, Yang gave her Perverse Nod of Approval ™ and winked.

"Hey, look," Ruby alerted motioning to their far left. The intersection to the south held one lone figure. Cloaked, but probably female. She was chatting on a scroll, and quickly moving away. "What do you think-" she wondered before a gentle thud off in the distance interrupted her.

The four girls froze as the thud grow louder and closer. It was coming from the West, the direction they were facing, and Team WRBY was caught completely off guard by the sight of an enormous, grey bipedal mechanized monstrosity leap over the row of buildings across the street and land in the middle of the empty road with a massive _**BWOOMSH!**_

"Down! Down!" Weiss whispered sharply to her teammates as the bunkered down, out of sight. Peeking their heads up, they were grateful that Weiss had selected the four-story building to watch from, as the mechanical beast was roughly two and a half stories tall.

"That looked like an Atlas mech!" Ruby squeaked in both shock and excitement.

As the dust and debris from the landing settled, the machine quickly turned to its left and marched down the road, slamming its massive feet into the concrete, hydraulic joints hissing and breathing with each movement.

The overall design was rectangular, with massive feet and weaponized arms surrounding a smaller torso that housed the pilot. Weiss and Yang assumed the pilot in question to be a faunus, given the White Fang logo painted on both shoulder pieces of the robot.

"Paladin two-ninety model!" Ruby revealed with excitement. "They're not supposed to be out for another ten months! And even then they're only for the Atlas flee-"

"Ruby, shut up!" Weiss ordered, motioning for her to pipe down. Growling, the heiress attempted to assess the situation.

The station's doors slid open as a dozen security guards rushed out. Technically, the first one rushed out, stopped dead in her tracks, and got bulldozed by the other eleven as the Paladin romped its way over to the entrance, coming to a stop in front of them..

"They're going to need more than stun batons," Yang observed as she readied Ember Celica.

Hydraulics groaning, the right arm of the mech quickly charged up a bright, blue beam. The guards didn't have an opportunity to react before being vaporized in a deafening _**VOOOMP!**_

The mech pilot followed up with a barrage on the front walls of the building itself, blasting away the steel, concrete. Flames went up, and rubble went flying, some chunks bouncing off the unarmored mech.

Team WRBY fought to keep their dinner down as three figures emerged from the flames in a very cinematic fashion.

A guy with grey hair and a black and blue color scheme heartily laughed amidst the chaos, "I never thought we'd actually plan a rescue mission for Roman Torchwick!" With basic armor plating on his arms and strange devices strapped above his ankles, he sauntered forward, unaffected by the flames and pile of ash that marked the site of twelve security guards.

A darkskinned girl with blood red eyes and emerald hair, who was also showing off far too much skin, took the right with a pair of revolvers in her hands. "I can't believe we decided to use the mech for him," she complained, kicking her boot against the asphalt.

The boss woman, a tall and slender figure in the lead with glass-like heels, **_klinking_ **against the pavement. Her crimson and yellow dress swayed with her feminine walk. Black hair streaming behind her, she noted, "Local militia forces will be zeroing in on us within the minute. If you want to take them on by yourself, be my guest."

Conveniently, a group of twelve White Fang troops came jogging around the South corner. "Roadblocks have been set up! All other forces are returning to base as ordered, ma'am!" the leading faunus announced to his boss as he and his cohorts arrived at the scene. "We stand ready to fight!"

_**"Oh-RAH!"**_ they announced in unison, swords at the ready.

Nodding, the boss woman ordered, "Assist the Paladin, and kill anyone who tries to stop you. The counter-offensive will be here in the next five minutes, and I don't expect the other teams to slow them down that much. We're heading down to Sub-Level Three."

Even from over a hundred meters away, Team WRBY could see her glowing, amber eyes as she and the trio entered the building.

"Suggestions?" Weiss quickly began with a whisper shriek, still formulating a plan of attack. Twelve thugs, and a really big, really deadly super giant robot that just took out twelve people in one blast and reduced an entire first floor to rubble.

"Suggestions? What do you mean_ 'suggestions'?!_" Yang whisperingly demanded of her leader. "Let the local law enforcement deal with them! A billion squad cars and mercenaries will be showing up any second now!" She refused to risk her sister's life against a giant killer robot.

"Yang, in the future: 'Let's not do it' isn't a valid suggestion," Weiss strongly reprimanded, addressing the wrong issue.

"We take out the thugs first," Blake quickly offered, personally interested in stopping Roman's escape. With a little luck, she could get information out of the boss lady. "Then we disable the mech. I can hop on the back and start cutting wires, make it power down or explode or something."

"You'd probably get yourself killed," Ruby countered. "Yang and I can knock out the joints, they don't have any armor on them. Just give us a few minutes, and it'll be scrap," she boasted as she firmly pounded her new torso armor.

"We don't have a few minutes," Weiss spat as she readied Myrtenaster. "If we're going to stop Roman from escaping, we need to rush in after them and fight them in the holding cells."

"We're a hunting team, not a squad of soldiers," Yang assessed, realizing the futility of resisting an action that had already been decided. "If we fight, we need to fight in the open so that we can use all of our strengths."

"Okay, I've got it!" Ruby decided. "Yang and Blake get over to the building closest to the mech, and jump it." Looking to her leader, she asserted, "When they draw everyone's attention, you and I can come charging down from the street, that way our velocity can tear right through them."

"Sounds good," Weiss agreed. "Blake, Yang, move out. Prepare to jump on my signal. Ruby and I will get on the ground and draw their attention. Sync?" she demanded, the adrenaline kicking in.

"Sync!" Team Bumblebee answered as the four girls paired up and began their parkour across the roof tops.

"We need distance for the advance. Let's get down to the Southern intersection and make our entrance from there," Weiss ordered.

Exercising their grade A agility, Team Bumblebee stealthily made their way to the North and stopped at the top of a three story office building that lay directly to the South of the now-destroyed penitentiary.

Simultaneously, Weiss and Ruby took an alleyway down to the intersection and peaked around the dimly lit corner to see the smoldering, burning, flaming wreckage of various building components strewn about in the street.

"Think you can make that jump?" Blake asked as they readied themselves, confident of her own abilities but unsure of Yang's, as she was the only one who lacked a semblance that granted super speed.

"Jump her? I hardly know her," Yang laughed more to herself than aloud. Seeing her unamused partner, she sighed, "Of course I can make that jump."

Down at the intersection, Weiss decided, "Now would be an ideal time to test our new weapon." The device in question was an elegant, silver wrist watch with a small whistle attached to the side, and a small box accompanied the whistle. An even smaller light bulb lit up as Weiss activated the device with a small switch, turning it from red to blue.

"Are you sure it won't affect us?" Ruby asked with concern.

Shaking her head, the leader stated, "No, humans shouldn't feel anything."

Seeing Team White Rose down at the intersection, Yang took the initiative. "Okay, Blake, let's do this!" Leaping from the building, the tanker screamed, _**"YAAAAAANG XIAO LOOOOOONG!"**_

The White Fang looked up just in time to see a flaming blonde come crashing down on top of their Atlas Paladin and immediately start pounding away at it with burning red shotgun blasts, metal fragments and hot sparks flying everywhere.

A more stealthy figure launched herself with far more grace, black hair streaming behind as she landed right on top of the mech, right next to her partner. Sinking Gambol Shroud into the crude armor plating, she started prying up the back hatch, hoping to find some wires to pull or even direct access to the cockpit. The task wasn't easy, as the mech pilot had started moving, rotating the torso in an attempt to throw them off.

As the twelve thugs began to mobilize with their crude swords and handguns, Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose took their places in the middle of the road. Bringing the whistle to her lips, Weiss took in a strong breath and blew hard.

Ruby didn't hear anything as she readied herself with Crescent Rose, loading a fresh round with an iconic _**schklikt, klikt!**_ She did, however, notice that the members of the White Fang slowing down, all of them dropping their weapons and staggering about, losing their balance. Clutching the tops of their heads, many collapsed, but a few fell to their knees. She saw her sister standing amidst them, very confused before looking back and crying out, _**"BLAKE!"**_ Darting behind the robot, Yang called out to Team White Rose, "Get over here already!" and went of sight.

Drawing Myrtenaster orthogonal to her posture, Weiss Schnee activated her semblance, placing a large, cyan snowflake beneath her boots and rocketing down the street. Kicking up rose petals, Ruby shot forward with Crescent Rose behind her.

* * *

Simultaneously, Yang had managed to punch a hole into a bunch of electrical junk and wires and whatever made the giant robot be all big and super awesome amidst the barking orders and confused cries of the White Fang. "They're getting a little too close!" she observed as one had managed to climb up to fight them with his sword. Swinging her left arm out, she smacked him in his masked face and used the momentum to roll off the sparking surface. "Bee are bee, Blake!" she announced, falling off and landing on the ground, fully prepared to take care of the remaining eleven.

Blake took home the gold, for when her partner diverted attention to the ground assault, the pilot emerged from the cockpit weeping. Gambol Shroud was quickly leveled at the pilot's face, but Blake could see the glaring red warning signs and the utter state of panic that had plastered the young girl's face.

Raising her hands, the young faunus of canine descent pleaded, "I just wanted to be treated like a human!" In tears and shambles she kept her hands up, fully willing to surrender now and save herself.

Weiss hadn't addressed the matter of taking prisoners, but Blake didn't have long to think about the dilemma. A low hum quickly blocked out her hearing, and it quickly overwhelmed her as she felt an earth-splitting shriek echoe into her hidden ears and travel directly into her brain. Her world began to shake, and her vision blurred as she felt the blood rush from her face.

Gambol Shroud fell from Blake's grip, sliding off the mech and hitting the pavement with a series of clanks.

"AACK!" she and the pilot gasped at the same time, both clutching their ears in a vain attempt to block out the pain. The pilot fell back into her cockpit, her scream only making things worse for Blake as she lost her balance.

Yang landed on the ground, ready to face the enemy on all sides, but as she made ready for war they were in the process of surrendering. Or at least, proving incapable of fighting. Their various swords and handguns were abandoned to the pavement, and they were all in the process of clutching their faunus ears as they fell to the ground in agony.

Yang looked ahead to the intersection of the south, and she theorized that whatever Weiss was doing to her watch was the cause of the sudden victory. But further thoughts were silenced as she heard a loud _**CLA-CLANK** _behind her. As she turned to face it, she found her beloved partner laying fetal on the asphalt, clutching her bow and writhing.

**_"BLAKE!"_** she cried out, alarmed at her partner's five meter fall and rushing to her aid. Being of the tall and muscular type, Yang leapt over the fallen fangs and was at Blake's side as she called for Weiss and Ruby. Yang knelt down to apply the necessary aura to heal her armored companion. She examined the torso but found no injury, the lower half didn't show any wounds either; her head? She pulled Blake's hands away, but the girl resisted.

"No, no, I'm _fine_," Blake proclaimed, gasping as her vision and sound quickly came back to her. She spoke the truth, conveniently.

"You're bleeding," Yang stated, attempting to wipe away the blood that was coming out of her nose. "And you must've hit your head pretty bad with all the bloo-"

Yang's sentence trailed off the moment she removed the bow to see two cat ears with blood coming out. Things suddenly made a lot more sense.

_"Give,"_ Blake demanded as she snatched the bow from her partner's blood-soaked hand. Frantically tying it back into place, she pleaded, "Yang, if you tell her-"

"What's happening?" Ruby demanded, Crescent Rose at the ready.

"She lost her footing!" Yang quickly covered, moving to block Team White Rose's view of Blake. "What happened to all the thugs? They just dropped," she stated, diverting the conversation.

Moving over to the nearest member, Ruby knocked him out with a boot to the head while informing her sister, "Weiss has a high-tech dog whistle. Humans don't hear it, but faunus kinda get dizzy and junk."

"That's kinda cool, actually," Yang admitted as Blake joined her side.

"No, it's not. It's ill treatment," Blake countered as she reloaded Gambol Shroud with a full magazine.

"You okay?" Weiss asked as she moved to take a closer look.

Holding out her hand, Blake kept her at a distance. "I'm fine, I promise. My segmentation armor absorbed most of the impact."

"Then that makes two investments that have paid off," Weiss added as she moved for the nearest thug on the pavement. "Ruby, take care of the pilot."

"Consider it done," Ruby affirmed as she moved in front of the mech and performed a graceful rocket jump. On her way up, she could see the girl already scrambling out of the mech, but it took a few too many seconds to land on top.

"I surrender, okay?!" she shrieked, landing on the ground and bolted for the smoldering penitentiary. As she leapt over rubble in front of the entrance, she screamed, "I'll pick beans for the rest of my life, I swea-"

_**WHAAM!**_

Team WRBY watched the young faunus come flying back, hitting the ground and skidding to a stop right in front of them. A smoking hole the size of a foot had been blown into her chest.

Weiss Schnee, despite her bravado and confidence, clutched her stomach in sickness as she stepped back. She'd never seen a dead body before.

"Mercury!" the team heard a girl cry out. "She was on _**OUR** _side!"

"They're all useless animals!" the male responded. Emerging from behind the rubble, he announced, "Besides, when someone yells, 'I surrender' it's usually an indication that they don't want to fight anymore." Stopping on the sidewalk, he took a look around with a whistle. "Not bad for kids," he commented.

"Who are-" the tanned girl began before stopping on his right. "Oh, them again?" she asked with a groan. "And they took out the mech!"

_"CIIINDER!_ They took out the mech!" Mercury called back.

"What gives you the right?!" Ruby demanded, still on top of their mech. After witnessing such a cruel murder, she denounced, "You psychopath!"

"Honey, what part of 'useless animal' do you not understand?" he called up to her with a smug grin.

"No… no, she asks a valid question," a new voice announced. The two bodyguards stepped aside to reveal their commander, the woman in red that Team WRBY had seen before. Her voice, much clearer in proximity, was as seductive as it was eery. Her tone was as commanding as it was beckoning. Stepping forward, she stated, "We have the right, because we have the strength, child."

Swallowing hard, Weiss and Yang stepped forward with Blake moving to outflank to the right.

"I wouldn't advise that particular course of action," the woman suggested, eyes glowing ember with the burning fringes of her dress igniting. "Roman, have a seat in the corner. Mercury and Emerald will care for you," she commanded.

Team WRBY saw Roman Torchwick emerge from behind the protection of his boss. The once confident thief staggered, his legs wobbling in pain. His fancy clothes had been replaced with a torn undershirt and ragged pants. Breathing wasn't easy for him, his hair had been burned and torn, terrible bruises scarred his body, and it looked like he hadn't gotten a good night's rest for months.

Ruby faltered. He was the enemy, but at the same time she realized that he was a human being. Then again, he was still the jerk who broke her leader's arm. Smirking, she relaxed a bit.

"Physical beating, shock therapy, and my personal favorite: routine starvation combined with sleep deprivation. Behold," she offered, motioning towards the once-formidable Roman Torchwick. "The fruits of your justice system," she stated as Roman sat down in a corner.

"I'm sure you'll get to taste them first hand," Weiss threatened as she stepped forward. steel glistening against the flames, she held Myrtenaster to her side. "We just took care of your mech and thugs, do you know who you're messing with?" she boasted, hoping to intimidate them into surrendering. A woman in a dress like that was either very stupid or very good at killing.

A few seconds passed as Cinder locked gazes with Weiss. The child was certainly brave, but there was an ever-present quivering to her. A common display of fear. The silence faded as sirens began to boom from the North, flashing lights and the sound of marching coming nearer.

Sighing, Cinder looked to Roman, then to Weiss, and down the street to the screeching cars and hustling counter-offense that was just a few hundred meters away and closing. "I'm in a generous mood tonight," she began as the police cars began unloading local militia forces. "You and your team are free to go," she offered with sincerity.

"No way!" Mercury gawked as men with rifles began to form a loose line formation, while mercenary hunters took to the streets and rooftops.

"Cinder, these punks aren't going anywhere," Emerald growled as she kept her hands on her holsters. They'd lost their mech, and all of their White Fang pawns. With the counter-offensive coming in, they couldn't risk being attacked from the rear now.

Ignoring the party in front of her, Cinder began _**klinking** _away towards the counter-offensive. With an elegant twirl of her arms and hands, she used dust from her clothes to transform into a more practical, combat-ready black suit that clung to her body quite nicely. "I'll leave the delegations to you, Mercury," she called back. "When I return, I expect the situation to be resolved one way or the other," she subtly warned as law enforcement began ordering her to put her hands up.

And as quickly as she was there, she was gone with a dash, and the confused line of men and women soon found themselves being attacked from behind by a psychotic woman armed with swords and arrows.

Groaning, Mercury prepped the gauntlet-like devices on his legs. They seemed very familiar to Yang. "Okay, if you wanna walk now, I guess we don't have any choice but to respect Boss Lady's orders," he begrudged as he looked at the four girls with confidence.

"And to be fair, you four did knock Roman down a few pegs," Emerald admitted with a smirk as she looked at the broken man groveling in the corner. "But you four aren't going to walk, are you?" she asked, looking back at the four with the lowest of standards.

_**schklikt, klikt!**_

"Nope!" Ruby cheerfully stated as she braced herself and squeezed the trigger.

* * *

.

.

**A/N: ****Part B will conclude chapter seven with non-stop action! Any and all feedback is welcome.**


	8. Act Two: From The Flames, Part B

**The Act Two adventure continues. With lots of fighting. **

* * *

_**schklikt, klikt!**_

Drawing her twin revolvers, Emerald quickly unloaded as Ruby's shot scattered concrete. Quick on her feet, Emerald leapt aside as Weiss came gliding in, almost skewering her. Almost.

Yang's eyes widened as she went flying back through the air, slamming into the wall on the other side of the street. "Blake, watch his legs! He's a kicker!" she warned as she got to her feet. Sure enough Mercury was already taking swings at Blake and she in turn started swinging back with both blades of Gambol shroud.

Flinching at the whizzing bullets, Ruby wisely backed off.

Raising her right arm, Emerald let off a single round, trying to put down the heiress. She scowled; Weiss proved to be faster, swatting away the revolver, shot falling to the pavement.

Back-flipping, Emerald moved to the center of the street. If she was going to fight two girls who had the upper hand in speed, she'd need to even the playing field by utilizing all of her weapons' features.

"I want them alive!" Weiss ordered as she moved to fight Emerald, seeing Ruby flying through the air and landing a few meters away from the enemy.

"That's really sweet," Emerald scoffed as she broke open her revolver barrels and slapped in fresh moon clips of dust-powered ammunition. "I can't say the same about you."

Metal clashing and scraping, Blake wondered how such an unarmored guy could be so quick in battle, especially since he was constantly risking balance to deliver a blow. Using up a small percentage of semblance, Blake made shadow-copies as she fell back to the middle of the road.

"I've fought kickers like him before!" Yang informed Blake as she moved to her friend's side.

"Are you hurt?" Blake asked, seeing the smoldering char on Yang's torso armor.

"I'm fine, just a bruise," Yang reassured her friend as they kept backing up, keeping their distance from the ever-casual Mercury. "Are you good, Blake? Your ears-"

"Are not important!" Blake abruptly reassured her partner. "What do you know about kickers?"

"He's probably got as much stamina as I have," Yang theorized from experience. "If you can, try to knock out his balance. It's a risky move to always throw your legs around like that."

"Are we going for a walk, or are we gonna fight?!" Mercury baited as he held out his arms.

More explosions to the North, more screams, more gunfire. High-impact Grimm rifles from the sound of it Ruby wondered how powerful that woman was if she was wiping the floor with actual soldiers. She kept her head in the game as she and Weiss began circling around Emerald.

"Ruby!" Weiss barked. "Attack Pattern: Strafing Run, White!" she ordered as she drew Myrtenaster orthogonal to her posture, powering up her semblance and forming a cyan snowflake glyph beneath her. **_"GO!"_**

Leaping out of the line of fire, Ruby brought Crescent Rose back and prepared to launch once Weiss had cleared the field.

As the armored heiress came flying towards her, Emerald strafed to the side, unlocking the hidden blades on her revolvers with a malicious grin and performed a wide-radius swing. She watched with satisfaction as Weiss got caught in the chain, razor-sharp blade wrapping around her.

As the chain went taut, Emerald braced and gave a sharp pull, sending Weiss toppling to the ground with Myrtenaster flying away. Conveniently, Ruby Rose was right in front of her, practically sputtering at the confusing move.

Raising her right revolver, Emerald aimed at the downed heiress, struggling to untangle the binding chain and unceremoniously cutting her arms up in the process.

_"Heeeyaaaaaah!"_ Ruby roared, charging in with a storm of rose petals.

Emerald didn't have a semblance-based speed, but she was a quick dodger, Weiss observed as she finally threw off the chain and scrambled for Myrtenaster. "Chains?!" she spat in frustration, concentrating her aura to heal the deep lacerations on her arms. "You put chains on your stupid revolvers?!"

Not biting the bait, Emerald raised her guns, hoping to just shoot the girls dead.

Drawing Myrtenaster orthogonal to her posture, Weiss summoned a black snowflake directly in front of her and powered up just enough to enlarge it, covering her completely. She had to smirk at her ingenious idea as she watched the bullets bounce off.

Squeezing off all twelve rounds, Emerald scoffed, "That's a fancy shield!"

"Ruby! Attack Pattern: Strafing Run, Red! _**GO!**_" Weiss called as she dropped her repulsive shield. Pausing, Weiss smeared sweat as she swallowed hard.

_**schklikt, klikt! BANG!**_

As time slowed down for Ruby, she saw Emerald pulling her arms back and preparing to dive-role to the left. Grimacing in frustration, Ruby watched as her attacked missed the girl by a few scant hairs.

Speeding back up to normal time, Ruby skidded to a halt and swung 'round, guesstimating three shots in Emerald's direction. "It's like she knows out attack patterns!"

Emerald took this distraction to reload with calmness.

"I fail to see how!" Weiss spat in frustration as she began to flank left. "It's not like I post them to Basebook!" she reminded Ruby as she wiped the sweat from her brow. What frustrated her the most was that they had no time to adapt when the strafe was committed.

"I think we need to try something different!" Ruby warned as Emerald swung around and squeezed off a few rounds in her direction. Zipping forward, Ruby took a swing at her while rejoining with Weiss. "Attack Pattern: Single Combat Red, White?" she offered.

Growling, Weiss muttered, "Ruby, I don't think-"

"She's fast! She rushes!" Ruby explained as she popped a fresh magazine. "I can match her! You can't, you're too linear with your style; I can do this, Weiss," Ruby pleaded.

Tossing two moon clips into the air, Emerald performed a physics-defying reload animation. Always quick, Emerald wasn't one to wait around for a second assault. "You two are adorable," she scoffed before letting loose her chains, air shrieking as her razor-sharp blades cut through it.

* * *

"Are we going for a walk, or are we gonna fight?" Mercury baited as he held out his arms.

More explosions to the North, more screams, more gunfire. High-impact Grimm rifles from the sound of it, not those flimsy ratta-tatta machine guns that Atlas used. Yang didn't like the idea of such a powerful woman being at their backs and mauling soldiers of Vale; but she wasn't going to leave Mr. Earl Grey alone either.

"Give us a sec!" Yang taunted. "We're girls! We gotta accessorize, powder our noses! That sorta stuff!" Leaning her head towards Blake, she whispered, "Your ears are still bleeding."

Blake felt the sticky fluid smear across her face as she tried to wipe it away.

Laughing, Mercury indulged, "Oh please! You and I would get the same sentence for murder, the same pay for a job! You're not going to be that stupid, right?!"

Yang was more than happy to let Mr. Earl Grey run his mouth. "If Weiss uses that whistle again, you're going to be out of the fight," she murmured to Blake as they continued to lead him down the street."

"There are no more faunus in the area, she's got no motive to inflict that pain," Blake logically deduced.

"I'm starting to think it's in her nature to inflict pain on others," Yang muttered, more to herself than to her partner. "Okay, just in case: let me take the brunt of his assault, alright?" she requested as he started running towards them.

Glancing again at the smolder on Yang's shiny, new armor, Blake sighed, "If you insist. I'll provide support."

"Just choose your strike time carefully!" Yang called out as Mercury came flying in with an over-the-top roundhouse kick. Blocking with her right arm, Yang felt their combined shotgun blasts vibrate throughout her entire body. Smirking, Yang countered with a left hook as he came back down to the ground.

Dropping below her swing, he dodged the hook and spin-kicked onto his back, forcing Yang to leap away, but she managed to get off a burning red blast as she flew through the air.

Stiffening, Blake watched the blast explode mid-air, just a two feet away from Mercury, his leg aimed at just the right angle to fire off an intercepting shot.

Leaping to his feet, Mercury threw Blake for a loop as she saw him swinging a shot at her, forcing her to evade, creating a ghost image that was consumed in the explosion.

"Your accuracy is awesome!" Yang exclaimed with zeal as she charged him. It wasn't everyday someone managed to negate her attack like that. Blake managed to do it once in a while, but even then she wasn't trying to kill her.

"Tha_-AAHAHAAARGH!_" he violently reacted as he felt a searing blade burn across his back. Spinning wildly, he missed the shadowed Blake as she swept past him, wound successfully inflicted. Grabbing at his back, Mercury judged the cut to be about half an inch. Luckily for him, his aura was far greater than Emerald's. "Sneaky, **_sneaky_ **little girl!" he seethed as he felt a sticky substance running down his shirt, sticking the fabric to his back.

Focusing his aura on healing the wound, he tried to back off.

Team Bumblebee wasn't one to let opportunities slip by, and Blake took the initiative of switching Gambol Shroud into pistol mode and unleashing a rain of gunfire.

Acrobatic as any hunter in training, Mercury evaded her shots with graceful twirls, flips, and spins, his heart pounding as he heard the bullets sip by.

Coming in swinging, Yang pulled a wide, right hook. She saw him duck, but she didn't see him grab her arm; however, she certainly felt his boot go off against her torso as she went flying back again.

Left leg still in the air, Mercury saw Blake charging him from his left. Slamming his left leg down, he had just enough time to raise his arms and absorb her slashing attack. His shoulder plating was thin and light, but it could take Gambol Shroud without any issue. Leaping back, he threw his left leg out and, pulling his toe-trigger in his boot, set off a very loud shotgun blast.

Mercury couldn't help but admire her speed as his blast cut through her fading ghost image.

Slamming his left leg down, he used the momentum to swing himself around and use his right leg to intercept the flying, yellow blob of muscle.

In an act of divine intervention, both gauntlets slammed head-to-head.

Yang failed to appreciate the accuracy of their strikes. Things went black for a moment, and when she awoke, she was on the ground once again, and there was this sporadic vibrating in her right arm, as if a thousand needles were poking her.

_"-AHAAARGH!"_ she heard him sharply cry out as her sense of hearing came back to her.

With Mercury hopping around on his good leg, Blake took the initiative and flew in, feeling a satisfying snag as she _**sliced** _across his unarmored back. Pressing her luck, Blake slammed to a halt and spun around, bringing Gambol Shroud's pointed edge to bear against Mercury who had made the mistake of turning to face her.

His loud shouts gargled down to heavy breathing as he froze, looking the faunus in the eyes.

Taking deep breaths, Yang managed to collect herself and suppress the pain in her arm. "Awesome!" she complimented to her partner.

"Listen carefully," Blake calmly murmured to the still foe. "You now have a seven centimeter intrusion in your lower intestine," she explained as she leaned closer. "If I cut across, I disembowel you; and you're dead. If I remove the blade, you will have to fight very hard to stop the bleeding with your aura alone."

Hyperventilating, Mercury focused on the girl like she was a divine being.

"My partner and I would love to help you," Blake offered as Yang staggered up to her. "How are you?" she asked, noting the smoldering, dented armor. Yang could take a beating, but she had been hit several times in the chest.

"Fine, just a few aches, I'll be good in a few minutes," Yang panted, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Can you handle this? I gotta go help sis," she explained as she motioned towards the apparent hostage situation that was taking place.

Nodding, Blake let her go and looked back to Mercury. "I don't want to kill you," she verily confessed as she kept her poker face up. "So how about this: We get rid of your boots, and I help you heal that wound. Deal?"

Mercury had never been more eager to accept an offer. Had he known Blake was going to knock him out upon recovery, he might have reconsidered.

* * *

"Drop your weapon!" Emerald commanded, brandishing her own against Ruby's throat.

"It'll be a very cold day in a very warm place before I do that!" Ruby spat back.

"Ruby, do it!" Weiss ordered, moving to the enemy's right.

"And don't even think about trying anything, Schnee!" Emerald warned as Crescent Rose hit the ground with a _cla-clank!_ "You stay right where you are!" she screamed as she firmly held her left revolver's blade against Ruby's throat.

Heart racing, Emerald tried to concentrate aura to heal the lacerations that Crescent Rose had inflicted all over her exposed body. Both fighters had similar styles of vicious, quick attacks and had exchanged powerful blows on one another.

Carefully stepping with the enemy's movements, Ruby attempted to focus on healing and keeping her neck away from the blade.

"Woah, woah, _woaaah!_" Yang yelled as she came bounding upon the scene of her beloved sister being used as a hostage, and a panicked Weiss a few meters away, desperately trying to form a plan. "What's all this about?!"

"Hey, sis!" Ruby welcomed as Emerald held the blade firmly to her throat. "Just trying to stay alive!" she jokingly explained as she kept her arms halfway raised.

"You're doing a great job!" Yang joked, observing the horrible slices on her sister's legs. Judging from the blood loss, they had to be pretty deep cuts. "Try not to slip!" she warned.

"Make any sudden moves, and she _**will** _get her throat cut open!" Emerald warned.

"What are you doing?!" Weiss demanded, completely confused as to what the blonde was up to now.

Subtly waving her off, Yang kept up her smile. "What are your demands?!" she called out.

"Who, me?!" Emerald verified as she kept her other revolver trained on Weiss. She knew the heiress could throw up that annoying glyph shield to stop the bullet, but that would give her enough time to kill the younger kid.

Nodding, Yang laughed, "Yeah! You!" Pouting, she baited, "Did you take a hostage without having any demands ready to go?"

Sputtering, Emerald fumbled, "Well- I- ...I didn't really think I'd need to take a hostage!" she begrudgingly confessed, growing slightly flustered. In her defense, the younger girl's fighting style was far too similar to her own to quickly counter. Luckily, Ruby had left her legs unguarded; and a few deep cuts went a long way.

Feigning empathy, Yang threw her punchline. "Way to get… a-**_HEAD_** of yourself!"

And in the one second that followed, Weiss glared daggers as she was half-tempted to stab the blonde mid-battle. Dropping the grin, Yang pulled her right arm back, lining up the shot. Emerald gave a small but hearty laugh at the pun, giving Ruby Rose the few precious milliseconds she needed to slip her hand in between the gap that had grown between her neck and the blade and quickly push it away before kicking up a rose petal storm as she flew out of Yang's line of fire.

And at the end of that one second, Emerald began to slouch in defeat as a bright, red fireblast came flying her way. There was a horrific burning sensation resonating with her chest that made her rethink her revealing clothing style and insufficient aura. As the burning reached its zenith, she found herself on the ground and encased in ice.

Cyan dust exhausted, Weiss brought the glowing blue blade down, satisfied with her marksmanship. "What about the man?" she quickly asked, turning her attention to their unguarded rear.

Dropping her guard, Yang bounded over to her little sister, her precious light in their world of darkness. "I was so scared, Ruby," Yang confessed as she forced Ruby into a hug. "Don't ever do that again," she pleaded as she buried her face into Ruby's neck. Swaying back and forth, she gave her ultimatum. "I'm not going to bury you, Ruby."

Looking up into her sister's lilac eyes, Ruby watch her tell her in all seriousness, "You're going to cremate me, you got that? When you go, I'll be long dead, so don't you _**dare** _go before I do!" Yang demanded, glaring daggers.

Yang had never been so serious with her before, but Ruby didn't doubt a single word of her speech. Frowning, Ruby tried to go along with her sister as Blake approached them.

"I took care of the man!" Blake announced to the other three as she carried his shotgun grieves in her left hand. Gambol Shroud in her right, she kept it firmly to her side as she advised, "We need to get out of here now."

Weiss and Ruby observed the dried blood that painted Blake's face. The source appeared to be coming from her head, specifically around her bow.

Reluctantly, Yang let go of Ruby as the four regrouped. "I'm with Blake on this one," she agreed for a multitude of reasons. Her burned, dented segmentation armor served as a powerful message of the opposition.

Weiss was ready to object as Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose, but then the silence of the night ironically interrupted her.

The shouting, the screaming. The guns had stopped firing, the explosions had stopped booming. There was the sound and glowing light of burning wreckage to the North, where the massive pileup had occurred; but the noises had vanished like smoke amidst Team WRBY's fight.

Handing the grieves to Yang as a gift, Blake theorized, "However many soldiers there were, however many hunters were hired, it doesn't matter now because they're all dead." Swallowing hard, the quiet night was one of the loudest announcements she had ever heard. "If that one woman managed to kill all of them, we can't fight her, Weiss."

Swallowing hard, Weiss felt her heart began to pound once more. She looked to the South. Emerald lay on the ground, encased in ice. Looking to the North, she saw Roman Torchwick still cowering in his corner, and a KO'ed Mercury lying helplessly on the sidewalk. Through a series of facial expressions, Weiss made it quite clear that she was having trouble ordering the retreat.

"I'm taking Ruby," Yang stated, earning a look of surprise from Ruby. "If you try to stop me, it's your funeral." She didn't know how Ruby had ended up at the mercy of some scantily-clad teen, but she knew that it was somehow her leader's fault. As far as Yang was concerned, that was enough fighting for Ruby and herself for one night.

"No!" Shaking her head, Weiss attempted to rationalize, "We're huntresses! It's our duty to enforce the law and-"

_**"MOVE!"**_ Blake shouted, activating her semblance and moving several meters down the street as a massive, burning _**FWOOOMP!**_ erupted in close proximity.

Ruby and Yang performed synchronized dive roles as the fireball came crashing in, while Weiss threw herself into a series of backflips to gain distance from the blast radius.

All four assumed a diamond formation as Weiss switched to her normal whistle, calling them all into position. Meters ahead of where the fireball had landed, the raven-haired woman stood tall on top of the decommissioned mech.

Armed with a strange, black longbow and clad in a glowing red leather-like catsuit, the woman conceded, "I didn't expect you to outmatch my underlings." With a lack of malice in her tone, she offered, "The four of you could do great things under my wing, and it would seem that I am in need of new bodyguards."

Smirking, Weiss boldly laughed at the offer, although her teammates hesitated.

Unphased, Cinder warned, "I have dispatched a sizable contingent. My powers are far beyond anything that you could possibly match." Frowning, Cinder simply stated, "Fight me, and you exemplify the traits of youth."

"And if we wish to leave?!" Blake called into question, bravely voicing her wishes to the enemy, much to the glaring disapproval from Weiss.

Leveling the bow in her left hand, Cinder's catsuit lit up with a gentle, burning red as she seemingly pulled an arrow out of thin air. "That won't happen," she informed the faunus as she drew her bowstring back.

Yang didn't like their odds. "Ruby, get ready to run," she whispered. Running in the face of the enemy was one of the biggest disgraces a hunter could commit, even in the face of death. But honor wasn't on Yang's mind.

"No way," Weiss spat. "You'll condemn us all," she reminded the girl, firmly aware of the status quo of Remnant. A coward was bad enough, but a hunter who ran from battle would ruin the reputation of their team and family.

"We're not dying tonight, Weiss!" Yang spat back as she began to back off.

"You're absolutely right!" Weiss firmly agreed as she switched to her red dust and drew Myrtenaster orthogonal to her form.

Recognizing that her proposal had been declined, Cinder loosed her arrow.

Throwing up a black snowflake glyph, Weiss used her aura to increase the size of the glyph to several meters in diameter, adequately shielding her team. As the arrow exploded against the repulsive surface, Weiss staggered back, eyes widening as she violently coughed and gasped.

"Weiss!" Ruby responded as she caught her leader.

"Fall back!" Weiss ordered amidst her roaring coughs, feeling as if she'd been stabbed by a thousand needles.

Seizing the initiative, Cinder summoned and loosed three more arrows in one powerful attack on the weakened team.

Yang and Blake were thrown to the East and West, but Ruby had already gotten Weiss a few meters from the blast. Unscathed by the high-impact, short-radius attack, Ruby loaded a fresh round into Crescent Rose and rocketed forward.

Abandoning her bow, which disintegrated upon release, Cinder powered up and chose two short, jagged swords for close combat.

Leaping from the ground, Ruby initiated her swinging frenzy as Cinder leapt from the mech in a graceful counter-charge. Meeting mid-air, Cinder quickly caught the mighty Crescent Rose mid-swing between the hooks in her blades.

Ruby flailed as she was helplessly pulled down, barely catching herself on the landing and tumbling back.

Throwing the scythe off to the side, Cinder pounced and thrust her blades against Ruby's torso, scowling as the young girl rolled to the side and only suffered severe scraping on her segmentation armor.

_"AAHAAAGH!"_ Ruby gasped as she felt a razor dig into her leg and pull her down.

Subtle as ever, Yang came charging in with a mighty roar and Blake and Weiss close behind. Turning to face the threat, Cinder tossed the blade in her right hand aside.

Scrambling to her bloodied feet, Ruby was all too happy to evade the danger zone as she circumnavigated the scary lady, hoping to grab Crescent Rose without being burned alive.

Leaping into the air, Yang threw a powerful right hook as Cinder, catsuit glowing, brought her right hand up and stopped the attack in an instant, buckshot imploding and falling harmlessly to the ground.

Yang gasped as she felt the equal and opposite reaction thunder back through her arm, but she managed to grit her teeth and give a valiant left hook, which Cinder promptly dodged by ducking her head, spinning around Yang's front and delivering a powerful boot to the tank's kneecap.

As her partner staggered back in anger, Blake came flying by, desperate to land a hit. The woman was graceful in twirling through the air and evading the strike.

Slamming her boots down, Blake came to a grinding halt and switched Gambol Shroud into pistol mode, squeezing off seven rounds which Cinder promptly blocked by raising her hand, causing the bullets to cave in on themselves and fall harmlessly to the ground.

Catsuit lighting up, Cinder summoned fire from the air and sprayed it in Blake's general direction, forcing the faunus to fall back.

Hearing a piercing shriek cut through the wind, Cinder spun around, catsuit glowing brighter, and threw up her right hand, stopping a burning red Myrtenaster mid-air.

Putting a death-squeeze on the trigger, Weiss unloaded all of her red dust in a rage-induced lava explosion that spilled sizzling flames all over, causing whatever barrier Cinder had summoned to reveal itself to be a concave shield just two feet in circumference.

As the explosive dust was burning, Weiss gracefully landed on the ground. With all her strength, she pushed against the woman, threatening to break Myrtenaster's blade as red dust continued to ignite and spew, deflected by Cinder's short yet unbreaking barrier.

The stalemate was going to end within the next few seconds when Myrtenaster's red dust running dry. Fortunately for Weiss, she had three teammates closing in.

Not one to enjoy being surrounded, Cinder used her free hand for a small shockwave, set off by a fusion of red and cyan dust into her left hand.

The shockwave sent Team WRBY flying back a few meters. Skidding to a stand-still on the pavement, Weiss saw Ruby stumbling back, fumbling with a spare cartridge for Crescent Rose. Yang had been knocked back yet again; and Blake had taken a nasty tumble herself, just barely managing to recover and scramble to her feet.

In one spin, Cinder had assessed the situation and, catsuit lighting up, pooled dust and aura into her hands to form two glowing spheres of poison-green fire. Throwing both hands at Ruby, Cinder unleashed a concentrated storm of acidic darts that sent shivers down spines as they shrieked through the air.

As Ruby darted out of the way, she felt sharp needle sensations stick into her torso, cutting through her segmentation armor.

Slapping a fresh magazine into Gambol Shroud, Blake rushed the enemy, hoping to divert Cinder's attention away from Ruby.

Summoning aura, Weiss drew Myrtenaster orthogonal to her form and threw herself into another assault.

Yang rushed to Ruby's aid, seeing the strange, green fire eating away at the segmentation armor that Ruby was hastily attempting to remove from her person, metal bands slowly melting off. Hitting the release button for her armor, Ruby cried out as the blades receded into each other and cut the darts that had penetrated, leaving eight short glowing stumps burning her black and red corset.

"Acid burns," Yang spat as she quickly pulled Ruby off to the sidelines. Resting her against the building wall, she warned, "I'll have to pull them out. This is going to hurt us both, sis."

Seeing Blake flying in, Cinder ducked in time for the girl's initial swings with both blades. A swift spin-kick tripped the otherwise agile faunus, and a point-blank blast of some cyan dust to the face knocked forced a shrieking retreat.

Staggering away, Blake screamed as she clawed at the horrific burning sensation. She dared not open her eyes as she tore ice off her face.

Hands glowing red, Cinder turned to her left just in time to catch the equally red blade of Myrtenaster in her hands, much to Weiss's shock as she wondered how such momentum could only drive a person back by a few steps.

"Do you see?" Cinder calmly but firmly asked as Myrtenaster's last grains of red dust were spent, and she came to a stop, her hands still burned bright, tightening around the now cool blade. "Your potential is wasted," she explained as Weiss saw Yang helping Ruby get the armor off and Blake viciously pulling ice off her face. "Your efforts are futile!" Cinder assessed with authority, bending Myrtenaster to its limit.

Glaring the heiress down, Cinder declared with absolute supremacy amidst the glowing flames, "Your strength is _**negligible!**_" To drive her point home, Cinder exercised her strength on Myrtenaster and shattered its blade.

The sounds of pieces hitting the pavement were the loudest for Weiss. Staggering back, she gazed in horror at her sword, now only half its length with the end a mangled, melted, and soldered shadow of its former glory. Now was a good time to back away.

Yang continued to apply aura to the eight fresh wounds. Looking to the smoldering armor, she wondered how much faith could be put into gear. She wondered how much faith could be put into Weiss.

"We need to get you out of here," Yang decided, looking into her sister's wonderful, innocent eyes; they had begun to swell with tears.

"Yang-" Ruby sniffled as she swallowed hard, massaging her burned, but dust-free stomach. "I- I have an idea-"

Blake had a good idea of how that Nevermore must have felt as she finally rid her face of ice. Judging by the scathing, burning sensations along with the blood, she figured that there were some pretty bad burns and patches of torn skin.

Seeing that her leader was keeping Cinder busy, Blake grabbed her weapons and rushed towards the sisters, hoping to organize a fighting retreat.

"I'll try it," Yang accepted. Hugging her sister close, Yang quickly begged, "You and Blake get behind Weiss." Kissing her sister on the forehead, she gave her a firm slap on the shoulders. "Tell her to make a really strong barrier, okay?"

Rushing to her teammate, Blake demanded, "Yang, Ruby, flank to the left and-"

Yang paid no attention as she dashed off to the North.

Putting absolute faith in her sister, Ruby took up Crescent Rose in one hand and reached for the release button with her other. "I have a plan! Come with me!" she ordered as she kept her emotions in check.

"And I, the strongest on this battlefield, shall have my way and will," the unstoppable force spoke as she stood tall and alone with the shortest girl stepping away, back through the arch of the mech.

Weiss had never really felt true fear. There had been moments of defeat, but she had never been given time in the moment to see it. With the barrel of her blade broken and welded shut, all Weiss held in her left hand was a crude dust bomb that doubled as a poking iron.

"Weiss!" Blake shouted as she and Ruby came 'round from the sidewalk and got behind Weiss, firmly grasping her shoulders and channeling their aura.

"I thought the four of us could take her together," Weiss somberly admitted as they came to her side. Her teammates weren't allowing her to retreat, like true huntresses.

"Yang's coming back; don't make a scene," Blake whisperingly explained as she held Gambol Shroud to her side.

"We need a really big barrier," Ruby gasped as she folded Crescent Rose into its compact rifle mode and brandished it towards Cinder.

Sighing, Weiss conceded with a melodramatic shake of her head, "Blake, you were right."

"What?" the faunus asked in shock, surprised to hear her leader admitting to a mistake.

"You were right, I should have devised a way to kill her, not just fight her," Weiss quickly extrapolated, feeling the end quickly approach. Now was the time to make peace with her team.

"Are you joking?" Blake spat in disappointment. She couldn't believe that Weiss could misinterpret the situation so badly. "That's not the poin-"

_"And Ruby while our relationship was brief I feel that we could've gone far as we both shared a lot of common interests!"_ she confessed with even greater speed as the monstrous woman continued her approach.

"Uh- thanks?" Ruby stammered, grateful for the honesty but not finding it to be as romantic as she would have liked to hear. "Just have that barrier up, please?" she strongly requested.

Hearts racing from exhaustion, adrenaline, and fear, the three girls formed a small triangle as Cinder sauntered in between the legs of the mech. "They were smart enough to obey me," she remarked, eyeing the frozen Emerald who still lay several meters down the road.

"Can't we talk this out?!" Ruby gasped as she drained herself of aura, hoping Weiss would have enough.

"The hunter's code demands you fight to your last breath," Cinder calmly stated. Black catsuit lighting up, she channeled red dust into her right hand and formed a single, glowing sphere. "Your time is up."

Blake and Ruby firmly reinforced their leader as Weiss drew her broken Myrtenaster orthogonal to her form and summoned her final barrier, pooling strength enough to make it several meters in diameter. Myrtenaster helped her to focus her aura, but the raw power came from within her own being.

Raising her glowing hand, Cinder gently pressed it against the barrier, igniting a red flame and sending sparks everywhere. If this was to be the girls' last defense, she would make short work of it.

Weiss felt the surge running back through her body, but she stayed the course and smirked, eliciting a perplexed look from Cinder. "Cinder!" she called over the loud welding sounds coming from the fires.

Cinder did not dignify a response, choosing instead to triple the amount of aura she was using.

The three girls yelped as Weiss struggled to maintain the barrier. "Settle a bet for us!" the heiress requested behind the safety of her barrier. With a sharp grin on her face, she asked, "Does that look like a _bee_, or a_** wasp?!**_"

Flying down the road with accelerating speed, Yang thanked her lucky stars that she and Blake had parked the Bumblebee in the parking lot just north of the holding cells.

Assuming the inquiry to be a ruse, Cinder paid the comment no mind; upon hearing the slow hum of a dust-powered engine growing louder and louder with each passing second, she turned her head to see a bright, black-and-yellow motorcycle flying towards her and Yang Xiao Long backflipping through the air.

As Yang came within two seconds of the finale, the unsuspecting enemy turn her head. Seeing that the jig was up, the blonde chose to make her exit. Throwing herself into an overly-dramatic backflip, Yang departed from her speeding bike and, still in the air, threw the most accurate shotgun blast in her entire career.

Cinder flinched as the blast echoed, and she watched the single, shining bolt of red hot buckshot strike the fuel canister as it rode in between the mech's legs like a ball through a goal.

All within a single second, Cinder braced as hard metal rammed into her, forced against the barrier. Her body painfully absorbed the crushing hit. Weiss managed to hold the barrier despite the pain that rushed through her body, forcing the two masses to intimately know one another. This relationship was brief as the Bumblebee promptly _**exploded** _into a sizable, shriek-inducing fireball of ignited aura, raw power, and flying metal.

Overpowered, Weiss and her cohorts found themselves skidding across the pavement.

Yang was still in the air as she watched her beloved motorcycle explode, creating a blast so massive and a shockwave so great that the Atlas Paladin slowly tipped back and hitting the ground with a loud crash. Landing on her feet with perfection, Yang wasted no time in dashing forward, hoping that her sister's plan had finally slain the beast. Amidst flames and a charred pavement, red-hot metal landed all around the burned corpse of Cinder Fall, whom Yang found tangled with the melting carcass of her motorcycle.

"I can't believe it," Ruby breathed as she and Blake slowly sat up, flinching in pain as their bruises, burns, and depleted aura began to combine into a greater pain. "We're not dead!" she laughed before clutching her stomach, regretting her sudden burst of excitement.

"It's a miracle!" Blake coughed as she felt her aura slowly healing her wounds.

Cinder's aura would have a tougher task. Burned skin and hair. Mangled limbs. Severe blood loss. The catsuit was fragmented, sizzling away as the dust armor evaporated. The woman looked dead enough to Yang.

Weiss wasn't so quick to judge. Slowly staggering to the enemy's side, she checked the woman's pulse and pleasantly announced, "She's still alive!" With some aura in reserve, Weiss proceeded to give healing attention to the enemy.

"Weiss, what are you doing?" Blake strongly asked, still on the ground and perfectly content to catch her breath.

"Keeping this woman alive," Weiss answered as she continued her work. "And I could use some help, ladies," she firmly encouraged.

"That woman has murdered dozens of people, and that's just for this day!" Yang reminded her leader, stomping forward and loading Ember Celica with fresh ammo belts. "Who knows how many more she's killed. Hundreds, maybe even thousands!"

"She's done a lot of damage, Weiss," Ruby soundly reasoned. "Does she really deserve-"

"This isn't about what we deserve!" Weiss curtly reminded Ruby. "Our system of law doesn't force justice." Concentrating on the woman grappling with death, she explained, "It forces retribution, and that's what we're going to do." Looking at her watch, she sighed in exasperation. 2:10 AM was not the time she wanted to be having philosophical debates.

"I know that!" Ruby snapped back. "I'm just saying that-"

"I heard what you said," Weiss ended. "And we're not letting her die."

"It's too dangerous to let her live!" Blake rationalized as she slowly got to her feet with Ruby offering her a hand.

"I gave you an order, Blake!" Weiss loudly reminded, not bothering to look her second-in-command in the eye.

"Well too bad, I'm spent," Blake gladly informed her leader. "I have no aura to spare, and neither does Ruby."

"Tch!" Weiss breathed in frustration. How convenient. "Yang, help me stabilize her."

As Yang begrudgingly followed orders, roaring engines could be heard in the distance, growing louder by the moment. The four girls looked to the skies for the source.

"Bulkheads?" Blake wondered aloud as the small ships came within visual range. Seven to be exact, and judging by the hexagonal canons on their underbellies, they were ready for a fight.

"I can't tell," Ruby admitted. The sun wouldn't be up for another few hours, and it was still the dead of night. "Sounds like them, though."

"Friend or foe," Weiss worried as she instinctively reached for Myrtenaster, only to remember that it was no longer the glorious sword of yesteryear. "Time to have a third one built," she sighed in exasperation.

"We can't meet another challenge," Blake spat as she readied Gambol Shroud. "Take cover!" she announced before being blinded by searchlights.

The four girls staggered, covering their eyes as the blinding lights continued to berate them, powerful turbine engines blasting away and sweeping dust about. With the high turbulence, Weiss regretted wearing a skirt.

Blake staggered as she could hear multiple engines whirling around her. Blinding them with searchlights and then surrounding them, this was no tactic of the White Fang.

_**"PLACE YOUR WEAPONS ON THE GROUND! KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!"**_ a gruff man's voice boomed over a speaker system. _**"YOU ARE SURROUNDED!"**_

Weiss was already disarmed, but Blake and Ruby had to comply.

"Ah! No way!" Ruby laughed as she placed Crescent Rose on the pavement.

"I can't believe it!" Yang heartily agreed with her sister.

Amidst the thundering march of what sounded like a thousand troops, Weiss wondered how many gruff, smokey voices they could possibly know. Looking to the South and North, she could see unending lines of troopers approaching in their white and black uniforms.

"Can't he tell it's us?!" Yang laughed as she blindly waved in the general direction of the voice.

_**"Wait- what- how- STAND DOWN, TROOPERS!"**_ the voice commanded from the Bulkhead, far more confused than demanding.

Team WRBY regained their vision as the searchlights dimmed, revealing twelve Royal Army Bulkheads hovering overhead. The two detachments of infantry that had pinned them in lowered their rifles and awaiting further instruction.

Blake caught a single figure leaping from one of the airship.

The man who landed was quite a character, Weiss observed as he dusted off his bright, royal blue cape. At a glance, she could see a bright red, black-buttoned jacket with white pants and black boots. An officer in the army. Very high up, judging from the red jacket.

Strolling forward, the man revealed some of his features, as most were hidden by his royal blue cloak. Many inches of greying hair streaking behind him as if he had come out of a wind tunnel. Blake took note of the pale skin on his face that bore several discolored scars with an especially nasty one running from a metallic left ear to his chin. The guy had to be in his fifties.

Weiss noted the storage pouches on his belt, very similar to Ruby's. And he had grey eyes, just like Ruby's.

"Yang, explain!" he demanded as he stomped up to them, roughly as tall as Yang, much to the surprise of Blake and Weiss.

"What's going on?! Why do you girls have Model Three Segmentation Armor?! Why is Ruby injured?! Why is half this street in ruins?! Why is there a shivering man in that corner?! Why is there a dead woman to my left?! Why is there a stolen Atlas Mech behind the dead woman?! Why is there a scantily dressed girl frozen in ice to my right?!" he angrily demanded, taking in his surroundings with utter confusion.

Pausing for breath, he gave a running soldier enough time to catch his attention. "Sir! There's at least eighty troopers dead back there!" she announced, motioning her heavy caliber army rifle to the North. "And a whole lot of hunters too! We don't think there are any survivors!"

Turning back to Yang, he finished, "And _**WHY** _is an entire company of my Brigade dead?!"

Sighing, Ruby and Yang moved in for a hug, which the man did not refuse but made it an awkward, one-sided hug.

Weiss and Blake looked to one another, for once sharing similar opinions of the man.

"Hello to you too, Uncle Qrow!" they cheerfully welcomed, ignoring his ire.

"Pleasantries later! Explain this now!" he firmly demanded, not coming off as very imposing to Weiss.

"We got a tip that Roman was going to break out!" Ruby began. "So we bought Segmentation Armor! Mine got hit with acidic darts!"

Jumping in, Yang added, "And we came here, staked the place out, saw the mech blow up the building, and these three fighters went in and brought him out, but not before we took down the thugs and mech pilot!"

"But the mech pilot was killed by the grey-haired punk over there!" Ruby pointed behind her uncle. "Not that it's bad to have-"

"Yes, yes, get on with it!" Qrow demanded, motioning with both arms, revealing the left one to be a robotic limb.

"We fought bad guys, then we fought more bad guys, then we fought this really bad girl-" Yang added as she pointed to the now breathing but unconscious Cinder Fall. "And she killed your company while we fought her minions, and then she tried to kill us, and she almost did-"

"But I asked Yang to use her motorcycle while we distracted her, and we trapped her in between the Bumblebee and Weiss's barrier!" Ruby finished with exhaustion and zeal.

A few moments passed as Qrow analyzed the situation. "Don't just stand around!" he barked at his soldiers who immediately stood to attention. "Get those fires put out! Search the facility, find any survivors! I want medical staff on standby!"

The ranks began to break up as soldiers split off into teams to accomplish their tasks.

As the troopers laid down their rifles, Qrow held out both his arms and beckoned the two into a hug on his terms. "I'm glad you're both alive," he explained, sighing in relief. "I would have come sooner, but it took time to mobilize troops and ships. I had an entire company on shore leave here, I thought they could take care of it."

"We understand," Ruby laughed as she hugged her uncle close. "We're just glad you're here now." As he let them go, she waved over Blake and Weiss. "Come meet our uncle, guys!"

The faunus and the heiress approached with caution. He looked at them with an equal amount of caution. As they came within shaking range, he offered them his right hand.

Seeing that Cinder was temporarily stabilized, Weiss took it first. A gentle grip.

"You're Weiss Schnee," he began. "Your music is… interesting," he offered.

"I'd be happy to autograph your posters," Weiss diplomatically joked. She frowned as he ignored the remark and moved to Blake.

"I'm Blake, second-in-command of Team WRBY," Blake immediately informed, feeling compelled to be as militarized as possible with the man.

"Yes, very good, I'm sure you're proud," he quickly dismissed as he turned his attention back to the situation at hand. "This is the woman who killed my troopers?" he verified, looking down at the unconscious woman with disgust.

"That's her," Ruby breathed, moving to her uncle's side.

Nodding, Qrow announced, "Excellent work, girls. She will tell us everything."

_"No,"_ Weiss interrupted, firmly placing herself in between the Brigade Master and the enemy.

This brought Qrow's attention to Weiss. "I beg your pardon?" he curtly asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl who opposed him. It was the lightest reaction, as the rest of Team WRBY gawked.

Blake wondered, "Weiss, what are-"

"This woman is property of Team WRBY," Weiss explained to the Brigade Master. "Under the Cross-Continental Hunter's Code, we as a team of hunters are entitled to our prey unless stated otherwise in a private contract."

Grimacing, Yang decided, "Weiss, this is the stupidest-"

Throwing up her hand, Weiss silenced the blonde. "You will not touch my captured prey, that includes the frozen girl and the unconscious man, so long as law rules this kingdom," she boldly reprimanded.

Despite being bruised, burned, and utterly battered, Blake furiously exclaimed, "Weiss, this is absolutely insane!"

Qrow took a few seconds, crossing his arms and cocking his head in consideration. "Pray tell, whatever shall you do with these dangerous creatures you've caught?" he went along, curious as to this girl's play.

"Whatever I please," Weiss stated, much to the collective disapproval of her teammates. "I could slit this woman's throat right now." Seeing the faint but visible flinch in his stance, she could see that he really didn't like that idea. "But I can tell that you'd rather have her more," she stated with a smirk.

"So give the accursed girl to him!" Blake angrily demanded. She couldn't see the point in opposing turning this criminal over to authorities. Knowing Weiss, there was a scheme.

"Not for free," Weiss deadpanned, to the confusion of Ruby.

Qrow considered this shorter girl. Bold. Confident. Calculated. She would do well in this world. "Very brave to challenge a Brigade Master," he conceded, holding no grudge against the child. "Name your price," he offered.

"Hah!" Weiss boldly laughed in his face. "I don't need any more money."

"What else?!" Blake wondered, throwing her hands up in frustration.

"Weiss, this is crazy!" Yang chimed in. "My uncle's a good man, he can take care of this!"

"Weiss," Ruby softly murmured. "This isn't funny."

"You three go help the soldiers, see if you can heal any survivors," Weiss quickly ordered. "Brigade Mater Qrow and I must discuss a suitable trade."

Scowling, Blake spat, "We need medical attention anyways. Come on, girls!"

* * *

_"I wouldn't find out until much later that Brigade Master Qrow had been given the task of securing the region of Forever Fall. He had been promoted to the temporary position of Field Marshal and been given command of four Brigades in addition to his own. He divided all of the Brigades, a unit of four-thousand at the time, into their official Battalions, units of eight hundred, and strategically stationed them along the great river to the North with orders to hastily construct fortresses._

_"This highly prized, yet enormous task left him unprepared when he received word of the terrorist attack. He established contact with the only company of soldiers in the immediate vicinity and expected them to resolve the conflict. Given the urgency of the situation, he wasn't able to mobilize many of his troops when he received the terrified pleas of the company's panicked soldiers and arrived late to the fight._

_"The company, a unit of eighty at the time, was on shore leave at the time and was slaughtered to the last trooper; there were five teams of hunters who had been hastily hired by the Company Master, presumably paying out of pocket; local law enforcement officers, whose numbers I couldn't determine, did not survive either._

_"My team's wounds were minor. Ruby's scars would take a few months to heal completely. Yang had a cracked rib from the repeated abuse to her torso. I had scars on my face and arms from the ice, but they healed in time. Weiss felt the greatest injury was her weapon's destruction, but she used a drop of the Schnee wealth to commission the construction of four more Myrtenasters._

_"I would have a more private talk with my partner concerning my ears. Yang readily promised not to tell Weiss, but she warned that I couldn't keep that secret from her forever. I was grateful for her loyalty and gifted her the shotgun grieves of Mercury, which she would enjoy immensely. _

_"In two days, reconstruction was fully underway, as the Vytal Festival was to start in one month. Queen Valens even dispatched one of her own secretaries to ensure that the job was finished as soon as possible. It would have looked very bad for Vale if people didn't feel safe in the heart of the kingdom, although that might have been a saving grace from what was to come._

_"But at the end of that night, my team and I were alive. Yang and I were angry, Ruby was worried, and Weiss was successful in her negotiations with Brigade Master Qrow. It was probably the most memorable introduction either of them had ever had."_

_-Blake Belladonna_

* * *

**_A/N: Thanks to everyone who managed to read this monster of a chapter! Let me know what you think of the fighting prose, please! I could really use feedback on that particular part, but I welcome feedback on all components of all my works! _**


	9. Act Two: A New Course Is Set

Yang decided that she could get used to this. Relaxing on the rooftop of their dormitory, enjoying the crispy morning of early November. She was an extrovert, always had been and always would be; but there was a great benefit to being alone, as Blake had confided to her several times in annoyance.

Conversations were almost always pleasant with Yang in them, but given the intense fight that had happened two days ago, Yang was perfectly happy to be alone on the gravel rooftop, dressed in her smock and dabbing away at her three-legged easel, this time using proper oil paints on her slanted, rectangular canvas. She didn't dare stink up the team's dorm room with the fumes, what with Weiss being in charge.

Sighing deeply, Yang frowned as she dabbed on the mix of red and orange she had made to give the impression of flames. Mixing colors was far more complicated than she had expected, but she wanted fire in the image. There had been flames in the background as she watched Weiss oppose her poor uncle Qrow. She had a crystal clear image of that moment, and while it would remain clear in her memory to her last days, Yang was still a very young painter.

"Honey, we're hooome!" Ruby cheerfully announced as the roof door slammed open, the two other stars following behind.

Smiling, Yang was quick to see Ruby extending the Team Standard to its maximum height, watching the multi-colored snowflake tower over the four of them. "How are Beacon's most interesting patients doing?" she lightly offered as she moved to greet them.

"We're fine, sis!" Ruby laughed as she gently leaned the Standard against one of the many air handlers. "They put my stomach in wraps. They said that it would take a few months for the scars to go away, but I'm all clear now!" she reassured her sister with a kiss on the cheek. "By the way, people can smell your oil paints halfway across campus."

Chuckling in confirmation, Yang welcomed the next girl: the top dog of the hour, Weiss Schnee. Still short but feisty. She didn't even need any bandages. Come to think of it, she hadn't even sustained any major injuries. She'd suffered severe aura deprivation, but Weiss was always quick to recover in that field.

"Gah! Can't you use less smelly paints?" the heiress strongly requested, throwing out her left arm and scrunching her nose and ignoring the frown from Yang.

Blake was last in line, and her smile was genuine, despite the mess of scars on her face and the stained bow on her head. She was a tough girl, Yang figured. She had probably taken worse beatings before. "Hey," she welcomed.

"Hi," Blake gently responded as she accepted Yang's fistbump, careful not to get any paint smeared on her.

Yang felt a sense of relief as Blake didn't seem too bothered by the discolored marks that would plague her face for the next month or so. Scars: the reminder that aura couldn't do everything.

"Interesting take," Weiss commented as she and Ruby observed the work in progress on the canvas. "I would've made myself taller," she critiqued.

"Then I'd have to make my uncle taller," Yang responded as she brought Blake over to her latest work. "He's about my height, remember?"

"You smudged Cinder's hair with her face," Blake critiqued with a smirk.

"You smudged everything, sis," Ruby poked, grinning ear to ear.

"Maybe _**you're **_the smudge!" Yang fired back with a grin of her own. Ruby could be quick on her wits, but Yang took pride in always being quicker. It was her way of compensating for never being able to beat her in a race.

"Says the girl who never won a footrace with me!" Ruby returned fire with a joyful laugh, recalling their youthful days. They could always smile about that.

"At least you got the flames right," Blake offered with a full grown smile now. Too often people had made promises and promptly given up; Yang was revealing herself to be a person whose word could be trusted on and off the battlefield. She had never had such a reliable ally before.

"Not really, there weren't that many, and they certainly weren't that big," Weiss rejected.

Growling in annoyance, Yang promptly decided, "I'm never painting when you guys are on campus ever again."

"Good to know!" Weiss moved the lawn chairs that were available for public use. There were more deaths in the arena than people falling off buildings, so access to the roof was both normal and popular among the students and faculty. "Now that we've all spent a day cooling down, I believe that we can sit down and talk about what happened in a calm, collected fashion," she reasoned, smoothing out her combat skirt and relaxing into the seat.

Yang recognized her leader's tone and promptly snapped her palette's lid back on to preserve her oils. These team conversations were always so, so much fun, after all.

Minding the bandages on her torso, Ruby chose to stand as Blake sat down across from Weiss.

"All medical appointments have been resolved, and professional opinions unanimously agree that the four of us are going to live on," Weiss humorously began.

"Weiss, please," Blake firmly requested. "Let's be serious."

Sighing, Weiss decided, "Then why don't you start us off, Blake?"

"First and foremost," Blake immediately deadpanned. "That watch of yours, that electronic device-"

"Ah yes!" Weiss interrupted with a hint of pride in her tone. Raising her right arm, she let the sun reflect off of the chrome covered device. "It's been a theory of mine for quite some time. If the faunus have heightened senses, if they can hear what we can't hear, if they can see what we can't see then they might be more vulnerable to a sensory overload."

Holding the eloquent whistle out for them to inspect, she stated, "It was just a pet project. I never had the time or ability to find out until now. I commissioned a very capable electrical engineer of faunus heritage to build it."

"You couldn't have been able to test it on yourself," Yang reasoned as she examined the troublesome device, tossing her brush into a handy cup of thinner and joining her partner. "How did you know it would work? I mean, we didn't hear it when you blew into it."

Smiling, Weiss explained, "The faunus tested it on herself." Seeing the venomous shock spill across Blake's features, she elaborated, "I compensated her accordingly! All I did was ask her to find an appropriate frequency. It's actually very interesting; she had to generate eighty-six thousand kilohertz before getting dizzy."

"So the watch/whistle has what, three-hundred thousand?" Yang guesstimated.

"Close," Weiss acknowledged. "Four-hundred, seventy-six thousand kilohertz. According to her, one full breath into this and she blacked out," Weiss revealed.

Seeing the disgust on Blake's face and the concern on her sister's, Ruby attempted to sooth with a smile, "The lady was paid a bunch of lien for her craftsmanship!"

Occupied more in thought, Blake recalled not being down for long. The effect, while powerful, seemed to last for a minute at most. Still, that was enough time in the world for a killer in training, especially one of her leader's caliber. Was that just one full breath? Did the duration leave exponential damage? Was there a risk of permanent damage? There had been a lot of blood, but she had felt fine afterwards. What if she kept being subjected to it? What was the range of such a small weapon? Could she develop a countermeasure to it?

"Weiss, you can't use that weapon," Blake argued.

"Blake, let's not make this into another social justice spat, please? It's a weapon to be used against our enemies. Why would we deliberately limit our arsenal?" Weiss challenged with reason.

"Because you haven't considered its use outside of a vacuum," Blake logically lectured. "What about innocent bystanders? We'd only fight the White Fang in areas populated by noncombatants, human and faunus alike. Maybe you're not concerned with that, but other powers would act against you for inflicting harm to the citizens of Vale."

"Come on, Blake. Be reasonable," Ruby requested, voicing her displeasure. "If we can turn our enemy's advantages into disadvantages then why wouldn't we do that?"

What was this? Some support for her actions? Weiss felt the need to celebrate such a monumental occasion. "Ruby makes a very good point, Blake; we're fighting an enemy that resonates throughout all of Vale."

Blake breathed a sigh of relief. Weiss was usually much harder to debate with. "When have they ever ventured outside of the Western cities?" With the Central Mountain Range dividing the kingdom into East and West, it was common knowledge that the White Fang stayed within the West. "The capital is too heavily secured, and the Extended Territories have always lacked the opportunity for resources, profit, and hostage hotspots." Sensing Weiss's aura pulsing in frustration, Blake pushed, "You know it, and I know it. The only faunus out there are Rifle Troopers and field laborers."

"Oh, yeah," Yang remarked, pretending to wipe her mouth. "Don't wanna knock out our own guys, right? Queen Valens would have us picking beans for the rest of our lives!"

Loosing a laugh in amusement, Ruby added, "No way, sis! We'd probably have to work the rice fields in the far east!"

Pursing her lips, Weiss scrunched her nose in disagreement. "I'll exercise caution when using it, but I'm not giving up a perfectly viable weapon just because you're worried that some faunus child will get their ears hurt," she decided, keeping a level eye with her second-in-command, much to her pier's frustration.

"It's wrong, and I don't approve of it. All in favor?" Blake offered hopefully to her teammates.

"_**That's enough!"**_ Weiss lashed out, startling the sisters into silence. "Know your place, Blake!" she reprimanded with growing frustration. "Democracy has no place on the battlefield. We will use whatever weapons are at our disposal when we feel it is necessary, and that is final!"

"_**Fine!"**_ Blake spat in frustration. If Weiss wasn't going to cooperate, she'd have to seek alternatives. There was more than one way to cook a Taijitu. "I suppose I can't expect a Schnee to respect morals and ethics, can I."

Using various facial contortions, Yang tried her best to tell her partner to shut up. Now was not the time to burn bridges.

One of the greatest challenges in being a leader was knowing when to punish unbecoming conduct and when to allow someone to leave with the parting shot. To be a great leader, one had to recognize that the subordinates would always be left to their own opinions.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Weiss continued, "Any other concerns?"

"You didn't tell us that the White Fang would bring a small army and a woman of unimaginable power," Blake gladly answered, eyeing Weiss with a frown.

"My informant didn't know," Weiss happily explained, hoping to put the whistle issue behind her. "All he knew was that Roman was going to be broken out. Now, the three of you willingly joined me on this mission, knowing that there would probably be no diplomatic solution, true or false?"

"True," Yang honestly answered. "But if we had known what we were going to go up against, we would have declined," she further explained.

"And choosing to place your team in that position was not only a tactical error, it was downright stupid," Blake assessed, maintaining eye contact with her leader.

"Our duty as huntresses is to uphold law, life, and liberty," Weiss reminded them. "If I hadn't acted on that information, I would have neglected all three."

"Your duty as a leader is to your teammates," Blake stated. "I don't disagree with the Hunter's Code in this case, but once you saw that we were in over our heads, you should've exercised common sense and withdrawn us from the fight. The lady even offered us the opportunity to leave," Blake added with passion slowly building.

"And what's the punishment for desertion, Blake?" Weiss countered, knowing perfectly well that a hunter convicted of desertion was always sentenced to a decade or more of manual labor, along with the destruction of their career as well as the prohibition of carrying weapons on their person.

"What's the punishment for getting your team killed?" Blake fired back.

Sighing in frustration, Weiss shifted the topic. "Let's try a different angle of approach. Blake, if you were the leader, what would you have done?"

Slowly drawing her breath and time, Blake stated, "If I found out that Roman was going to be part of a prison break, I would turn that information over to the authorities and let them take care of it." As a survivor of a very turbulent lifestyle, Blake had learned the hard way that some conflicts were best left unresolved or ignored altogether.

Frowning sharply, Weiss made no attempt to hide her disapproval. "Yang, what would you do?" she almost demanded.

"Um- uuh…" Yang quickly calculated and decided, "I guess I would do the same thing."

"And Ruby?" Weiss asked, turning her head with a tone that insinuated a greater expectation.

Ruby sighed as she stared out across the campus. "I think I would do what Weiss did," she decided. Looking to her teammates, she rationalized, "I wouldn't want Roman to get away, but if I saw Cinder's power I probably would've tried to run."

"It was your idea that saved us," Blake stated, noting Weiss' left eye twitch just once, which the heiress covered with a blink. "We owe our lives to both of you," she thanked, looking from Ruby to Yang with a gentle smile.

Shrugging off the fame and glory, Yang chuckled, "You would've done the same for us, it's what we do."

"That's a very good point," Weiss segued. "We're huntresses. Fighting is what we do. Glorified mercenaries, that's pretty much it."

"All the more reason to be smart about it," Blake interjected, resuming her frown. "Weiss, planning to stop Roman wasn't stupid. I'm not arguing with that. Not letting the authorities know was stupid. Not running away when you saw how helpless we were against her was beyond stupid, it was suicidal."

Weiss considered the words and feelings of her second-in-command. Nodding, she conceded, "I will not force any of you to fight against those kinds of odds anymore without your approval."

"I'll agree to that," Yang voted.

"Ditto," Ruby chimed in.

"This is the second time you've pulled something like this. It _will not _happen again," Blake warned. "We're not your pawns, Weiss. If you try to put our lives on the line so unnecessarily for a third time, I'm walking away."

Weiss stared right back at her teammate. "It won't. I give you my word," she promised.

Carefully watching her leader's face, Blake hesitantly finished, "Okay then. I accept your apology."

"Great!" Yang declared, clasping her hands together. "Then we can move onto the next topic!" Getting serious, she asked, "What are you playing at? What's up with this deal you struck with our uncle?"

"Yeah, I was gonna ask that," Ruby stated as she crossed her arms. Her uncle had never ever _ever _stormed off like that, not after shaking another person's hand too. And he hadn't even visited them while they were getting their medical attention.

"Oh, that," Weiss quickly remembered. "It's nothing any logical person could get mad about," she informed them, eyeing Blake in particular.

"Try me," the faunus murmured beneath her breath.

Smirking, Weiss proudly proclaimed, "In exchange for the three captured criminals, Brigade Master Qrow will be supplying us transportation every weekend to join the ranks of his own brigade, which is currently fortifying the new frontier, for the next six months!"

A brief pause. The three shared looks of confusion. The leader of the world's most renowned terrorist organization traded for a few months of possible death on the most recently extended edge of the civilized world? It sounded like a bad trade, if not stupid, to them.

Ruby was the first to speak. "Aaand what's so great about that?"

Loosing a quick laugh, Weiss explained, "It's on-the-job training! We're only halfway through our first year as students; we would normally have to wait for our second or even third year to get this kind of opportunity!" She felt that this was as good as it could get. They were already on top of the other first year students, and they could even stand up to the third year hunters. "Ozpin doesn't have any jurisdiction over this, and from the way he reacted to my mentioning Brigade Master Qrow, it sounds like he's actually friends with him, so there won't be any conflict in our studies."

"Oh yeah, Ozpin knows our uncle," Ruby confirmed. "They worked together. Uncle was part of Ozpin's hunter team, and they were friends but parted ways."

"Ozpin discontinued his contract for Valens," Yang elaborated. "Uncle stayed because she had offered him a promotion to Wing Master."

Nodding, Ruby agreed, "Sis remembers it better than me!"

Sighing, Blake found no fault in that deal. "What are the specifics?" she worried.

Breathing her own sigh of relief, Weiss finally relaxed as the mood finally settled. "It's six months of weekend visits where we work with the other student teams, the third and fourth year student teams."

Nodding, Yang revealed, "Ah! For a second there, I was worried you had gotten us mixed in with the Rifle Troopers."

"Oh? What's wrong with the Rifle Troopers?" Weiss wondered. They comprised the core of Valens' royal army after all. A year of intense sharp-shooter training, and a single-shot rifle that could tear a hole through most Grimm; they were a formidable force.

Blake looked to her partner with great interest, for she wished to know as well.

"They're criminals," Yang reminded her. "Almost half the enlisted are convicted criminals." Frowning, she commented, "Valens will take anyone from a purse snatcher to a serial rapist."

"You're making it sound worse than it is," Blake assured her. "Most of the serious offenders are kept in the factories and fields." After all, in a world where being torn apart by demonic forces was a daily threat, every pair of hands could be put to work in protecting the people.

"There are some who hold a rifle," Yang countered.

"And the overseers obviously found them to be trustworthy," Blake countered.

"If we could get back to the point of the matter," Weiss firmly requested with a clap of her hands. "I've given us a jumpstart in our careers as huntresses. I think that, as your leader, you can all agree I've finally done something right?"

"Actually, no." Yang piped up. "You owe me a new motorcycle."

Unprepared for such a statement, Weiss innocently began, "I beg your par-"

"My motorcycle!" she repeated. "I had to sacrifice my beloved Bumblebee to save you!" Crossing her smock-covered arms, Yang decided, "You owe me a new one."

"But it wasn't even my plan!" Weiss complained.

"No, but it _was _your plan to fight Cinder," Yang reminded her. "So you're gonna replace it."

Weiss gave pause as this was a logical decision. "I'll take you motorcyle shopping, Yang," she gently conceded. It was hardly worth haggling over, she figured. "Any other issues that need to be raised?" she offered, offering her teammates one more chance to vent any frustrations.

As the three shook their heads, Weiss felt it appropriate to stand up and lead with the final topic of discussion. "Great! Then before Ruby and I head out, there are some last things I want to address: Since I traded Cinder and her underlings to the government, I've lost any chance of finding out what her plan was."

Frowning, Yang ventured, "And you want Ruby and I to ask our uncle what her problem was?"

Nodding, Weiss affirmed, "He's your uncle, you two have the best chance. It's not really a big deal in the grander scheme of things, I suppose," she reasoned. After all, the world was filled with mad minds; what difference could the knowledge of yet another person's plans make for her? "We'll be spending a lot more time with him than you had originally planned anyways; just see what you can get out of him whenever you can is all I'm asking." Smirking, Weiss raised an eyebrow as she wondered, "Aren't you all just the least bit curious about this woman?"

"Yeah, we can try to find out," Ruby helpfully stated with a smile. "Yang and I haven't seen him in a while anyways, we can catch up this way!"

Shrugging her shoulders, Yang admitted with disinterest, "I guess we could."

"Thank you," Weiss accepted. "Now, there's the issue of packing: Our first trip out to the edge of Forever Fall starts in two days, so be sure to pack light. Let's try to keep it down to one bag?" she requested. They wanted to leave a good first impression, after all.

The others nodded along. As Blake recalled, Weiss was the only one who had more than two bags when they all moved into their dorm room.

"I can tell you're not interested in a speech on your fighting," Weiss sighed. "So I'll just say this: You're the best team a leader could ask for." Seeing the lack of positive response, Weiss slumped as she rose from her seat. "Fine. Just one more thing: Our semester starts again this Monday, and we'll have homework like everyone else, so we're going to have to work harder than before to keep up. Also, we'll have to keep up our training to participate in the First Year Student round of the tournament, so we can't cut back on that either."

"Aaargh!" Yang growled, throwing her head up back in exasperation. She swore financial vengeance on Weiss, already planning to get the most expensive, most awesome motorcycle a civilian could get. Maybe she could get one of those weapon-packing ones; she was a huntress in training, and she had all her documentation to prove it.

"Okay, I think I'll just go now," Weiss groaned as she moved to the Team Standard. "Ruby, are we still on for the gym?" she hesitantly asked.

Smiling, Ruby agreed, "I'll join you now!" and happily took up the Standard, that iconic snowflake that bore their colors, cape gently flapping in the wind as she followed Weiss. "See you guys later!" she cheerfully proclaimed as Team White Rose departed from the scene.

As the door closed, Team Bumblebee breathed a mutual sigh of relief, sparking a soft laugh from the two young women.

"Ah, she's always so positive," Yang sighed with a smirk. "That's Ruby for you, though!" she decided as she hopped to her feet. "Mind if I talk to you, Blake?" she asked as she proceeded to return to her painting.

"Not at all," Blake welcomed as she moved to stand with her partner. "You're much more pleasant company to keep."

Scoffing, Yang decided, "That's not much of a compliment these days." Removing the lid on her palette, she selected her best fan brush and started adding billows of smoke to the background. "Okay, so you're a faunus."

Touching at the ice scars on her face, Blake admitted, "Apparently so."

She couldn't help but be curious about many things pertaining to her partner. "So you've got night vision? And better noses and stuff?" Yang asked, failing to suppress her desire to learn.

Smiling, Blake corrected, "I only have one nose, Yang; but yes, I have night vision and can smell when you use too much perfume to compensate for the lack of a morning shower."

Loosing a small laugh, Yang asked, "Am I really the worst smelling person you hang around?"

"I've come to appreciate your unique musk, Yang," Blake gladfully answered as she was drawn to the west by a pool of mingling auras. Down below, strewn about the lush rectangles of grass were a multitude of students relaxed and socialized, their auras calm with a few pulsing in anticipation or dread. She was the same age as they were, so why did she have to be plagued by all these stupid issues? "I haven't had such a carefree friendship, and I'm glad I met you."

Pausing on her would-be masterpiece, Yang turned to stand with her friend, sharing the view together. "You could always change teams." Her normally vibrant, pulsating aura compressed in on itself as she made the suggestion, but Blake kept it to herself. "That way you'd have three friendships like that. You'd lose the best sparring partner ever," she joked before growing more somber. "But you wouldn't have to put up with Weiss. I know she's a real stress for you."

"That wouldn't fix the problem," Blake sighed. That heiress wouldn't be a problem if she wasn't in a position of power. If she had lost her power, maybe she could've changed for the better. Someone like Ruby-

"Maybe the problem will never be fixed. It's not like you owe her a debt. You're free to request a transfer. Ozpin might deny it, but you're allowed to try." Shrugging her shoulders, Yang reflected, "Heck, you could drop out and go to a different school; maybe even a different kingdom. Opinions are a funny thing, they can be an unbreaking wall in the face of the most obvious facts. Personal experiences can be stronger than all of Valens' brigades, and Weiss grew up in an abusive relationship with her family. It's not right that she throws her frustration at the faunus, but words aren't going to change that outlook." Looking to her partner, she discreetly pleaded, "And violence would only affirm her misguided views."

"True," Blake acknowledged. For such a laid back individual, Yang could show a remarkable amount of somber, realistic recognition. Maybe that was why she didn't oppose Weiss.

"So why stay when you can roll the die again?" Yang wondered. She was going to go wherever her sister went, whether or not Blake went with them; but this girl was far more independent.

Looking her in the eye, Blake stated, "Because as much as I hate to admit it Weiss gets results. I'm better off now than I ever was before. I've gained you as a friend, learned through this school, and we've put the White Fang into an infrastructure deadlock. I know that if I stick with Weiss, I'll be able to do well for myself and the world."

"You want to do right in the world, huh?" Yang asked with a smile. "That's why you're putting up with her?" How selfless. How noble. And to think, she had criticized Ruby for such ambition.

Shrugging, Blake admitted, "I can't argue with her results. We took down a fully grown Nevermore, we pushed back the Grimm, took on one of Those Who Fell, and we beat the White Fang. And in less than a year. That's more than most people will do with their entire lives."

"And now we're about to get involved with the military, under my own uncle's supervision," Yang scoffed. Her aura was quickly bouncing back into that upbeat, resonating pulse, lively as her heart. "That's going to be an adventure, and maybe Weiss will learn some humility under my uncle's authority," she offered with hope.

"That's going to be another challenge," Blake predicted. "Not just for her but for me, and my extra set of ears." Due to hormonal conflicts, students bathed separately, but in the military everyone shared one shower room. After all, embarrassment was tossed out the window when the Grimm were on your doorstep.

"Well, I can see why you'd hide them," Yang lamented as she went back to her canvas. "And I'll be honest: I just thought the bow was part of your outfit."

"Weiss seems to think so too," Blake deduced with a smirk. "I take it you're worried about my secret being discovered?" she ventured, knowing her partner's way of thinking.

"I won't tell her, of course; but what do you think she'd do?" Yang worried, answering the question. "She can't kick you off the team, and Ruby and I wouldn't let her leave you in the open for an enemy," she logically reasoned.

Taking in a breath, Blake considered her partner's input. She had thought about the possible outcomes many times and had always stuck to some advice she'd been given at a young age. "It's none of her business what I am, or what I do with myself. As long as I pull my weight in this team, she can't touch me."

"But she could still get angry," Yang commented. "There's a strong sense of pride in that girl. I don't think she'd react well to being dupped for so long without catching on. Y'know, an insult to her intellect."

"I haven't _dupped _her," Blake renounced, scowling at the situation and those lucky students who were having an easy life. "I don't know what I'll do, okay?" she admitted. "She hasn't caught on yet, and I know how to keep a low profile." They shared a room, they shared classes. She would eventually end up sharing a shower room if they stayed longer and longer at some fortress, though.

"What about the whistle thing?" Yang pushed. "You can't coincidentally slip and fall whenever she uses it. Bleeding profusely from the head tends to draw a lot of attention, y'know."

Scrunching her features, Blake decided, "I'll find a way to break it."

"She'll find a way to fix it," Yang countered as she turned back to her work. "Maybe you could tweak the gadget so that it doesn't hurt? Maybe enough for a faunus to notice, but not enough to blackout?"

"That's an idea," Blake acknowledged as she turned back to her partner.

"Right," Yang conceded as she continued to dab, bringing smoke to the fires of chaos that she was trying to capture in her memory. "Here, look," she began as she set her materials down and reached into her pocket.

Eyes widening, Blake asked, "Where did you get this?" as Yang placed a completely white pendant of faunus pride in her hands. It was like the one they had found in Forever Fall before, a circle with a vertical bar cutting down and a sideways 'M' stuck to the side. "Yang, you could get into a lot of trouble for having this," she strongly warned. The completely white pendants were only worn by supporters and members of the White Fang. The implications could be dire for the brawler.

"I snagged that one off of that poor pilot faunus," Yang explained, grimacing at the memory of seeing her get blown away by that Mercury punk. "Never really thought someone so smart could be so scared," she admitted. Her piloting skills hadn't been the best, but Yang knew that the girl would have been great at it, if only she'd had a fair shot in life.

"I didn't know you felt so sorry for her," Blake said with surprise.

"She murdered a dozen security guards," Yang spat back. "I have no sympathy for murderers, but I can understand why she did it."

"She didn't wake up that morning and decide to go homicidal," Blake firmly reasoned. "She was obviously kicked around enough that she decided the system would never work for her, so why not fight the system."

"That's an explanation, not a justification," Yang countered. "Yes, it's sad; but once you start hurting other people, you're no longer a victim. I'm sure the girl had suffered a lot of abuse as a faunus, and while that's wrong, it doesn't justify the mass murder she willingly took part in."

"If you judge a person by their actions alone then you're only going to treat the symptoms of the diseases that plague society," Blake warned.

"Look, the point is I'm going to paint it all black," Yang sighed, growing tired of their debate.

That was certainly better, as it meant that one was against the White Fang, but even then it wasn't going to fly with a lot of people. "You'd still get flack for it," Blake warned.

"I just want you to know that I'm on your side," Yang attempted to explain with a strained smile. "But I need to know, Blake: Were you ever in the White Fang?" she finally asked, popping the question Blake had apparently dreaded, judging from her screwed facial expression.

The brief pause and her partner's facial contortions provided Yang with the answer. "If Weiss finds out, she might use that as a pretext to throw you out of Beacon."

"That's only _if_ she finds out," Blake seethed, patience slowly cracking under stress. "And she won't unless you talk."

"I _won't _talk," Yang reassured her, growing stressed herself. "You don't need to assume the worst of me, I won't betray you, but you need to tell me: is there anything you know that could give us the edge?" Yang asked, dread in her tone. It was clearly a sensitive topic, but she would not let Ruby suffer for Blake's secrecy. "Do you know anything that could give us an advantage?"

Blake hesitated. There was a lot she could say, but the more she did the more she put herself at risk. She liked Yang, trusted Yang with her own life, but Blake wasn't sure if she could reveal all of her secrets.

"Nothing you need to know for now."

Sighing, Yang shrugged. "I'll trust you on that, but I'll be here if you change your mind." Making a point to look Blake in the eyes, she warned, "But Ruby had better not get hurt from your silence."

Huffing, Blake nodded along. "I know, Yang. Your sister's health is a high priority for me. And I appreciate your loyalty." Smiling, she assured, "I'll figure something out, don't worry."

"Maybe tell Weiss on your own terms?" Yang suggested. Observing her her partner's nasty frown, she quickly elaborated, "If you told her about your past in a confidential manner she might see it as a sign of-"

"No, it's too late for that," Blake stated. "I needed to do that in the beginning, but now it's way too late for that."

Both sighed in frustration. There appeared to be no way to win this for either side. "I'll figure it out, don't worry," she attempted to reassure.

"Just let me know if you need any help," Yang offered as she accepted the pendant from her partner.

Acknowledging her partner's decision, Blake changed the subject by asking, "So now you have Roman's cane, a White Fang faunus pride pendant, and some shotgun greaves."

"Oh, right!" Yang realized as she swung her brush about in a dramatic fashion. "Yeah, we gotta test those suckers out! Hmm, I don't throw kicks that often, but I suppose the extra power could always come in handy."

There it was, that unique, pulsating aura that Blake had come to know. "How much longer do you think you want to spend on this?" Blake wondered, gesturing towards the grim painting. It was an admirable attempt, but Yang just kept trying to paint complicated, colorful scenes; Blake had suggested starting simple a few times, but the artist insisted on being colorful. "We could spar after lunch?"

"Sounds good," Yang laughed before setting her equipment down. "But before you go, I need to tell you some things."

She could see that Yang had gotten somber. Perking up, Blake motioned for her to proceed.

Taking in a breath, Yang revealed with a sigh, "My uncle… is a very loving man. To me and Ruby, at least. The guy's been serving under Queen Valens for about thirty years?" Shrugging her shoulders, she continued, "The point is: he's very curt with 'outsiders'."

Nodding, Blake added, "He was polite to me and Weiss, but I could tell that he had little interest in us."

Chuckling, Yang agreed, "Yeah, that's Uncle Qrow. Anyways, he's not going to take an interest in you two just for knowing Ozpin. The guy signed off while Uncle got promoted."

"Do they still talk?" Blake wondered. Fighting Grimm together must have forged a bond.

Sliding her lips to the left, Yang theorized, "Eeeeh, I _think _so? I'd have to ask." Shaking her head, she clasped her hands together and said, "Okay, so: My uncle hasn't messaged us since making that deal with Weiss, so we're all going in blind on this one."

Nodding once, Blake held her tongue.

"The most obvious thing about him: his left ear and arm are robotic. He'll tell you some Grimm got too close and clawed his ear off, but he hates to talk about his arm. So don't ask, and you should be good," Yang explained. "No idea how he lost it, and I don't think he'll ever tell."

Ozpin might know, Blake reasoned; but she understood. The odds of coming out of service without losing at least a hand, and those who claimed to be lucky were often proclaimed liars. "Anything else?" she prompted.

"Just don't dilly-dally if you need to talk to him. He doesn't do small talk unless you're 'family family' or 'soldier family' to him," Yang went on. "He also doesn't do humor. He won't smack you with his robot arm, which hurts a lot, but he will try to shut you down immediately. I don't let that bother me, though, haha!" she proudly revealed, grinning ear to ear.

Folding her lower lip, Blake nodded along. "Good to know, I'll try not to make him laugh."

"Good, 'cause he hates laughing!" Yang potentially ironically laughed. "But yeah, that's pretty much everything you need to know about him. We probably won't see him that much anyways," she reasoned. He was already a busy man, having been a Brigade Master for several years and all. And with the new expansion, the first in, like, eighty years? Maybe a hundred, she'd never bothered counting the years. From Yang's perspective, he was going to have his hands full.

Languidly stretching her arms, Blake gently yawned as she decided, "Then I guess I'll see you in the dining hall an hour from now?"

"_What?!" _Yang gawked as she glared at her watch. "Where does the time go!" she growled as she flung herself around and set to work cleaning her fan brush and selecting a finer-tipped one to make her uncle's bright blue cloak.

"Yang!" Blake called out as she reached the door. As the blonde turned to face her, she teased, "You spilled a bunch of random colors on that canvas!"

"_**OH YEAH?!" **_the painter questioned as she leaped over the lawn chair, brandishing her brush. "_**MAYBE I SHOULD PRACTICE ON YOU!" **_she laughed as she attempted to expand her knowledge of bodypainting, much to the shrieking laughs of her potential subject as she made her escape.

* * *

_"Ruby told Weiss what could be expected from their uncle. Even as the years went by, Weiss and I never developed a relationship with him. Ruby and Yang would always be the ones to talk to him, and he seemed perfectly content with that setup. From what I did see, he had Friends, Fighters, Family, and Outsiders. He gladly held a conversation and asked questions with the first three. My account is from an Outsider's perspective. Now, only Ruby Rose could give a more detailed account of what made Qrow Branwen the man he was."_

_"This deal that Weiss struck with him would lead to a very intimate relationship with the Royal Army of Queen Valens as well as Qrow Branwen, one of many BMs at the time. Since my youth, the army has undergone reform, and there are many books that go into greater detail, but for the sake of this recollection I will provide a description:_

"_The army was divided into two branches: Rifle Troopers and Auxiliaries. Rifle Troopers were the most numerous: people who never developed their aura beyond the basics of healing minor injuries. By my time over half were convicted criminals and faunus. _

"_The Auxiliaries were divided into multiple branches: technicians, engineers, pilots, artillery teams, and Hunters. The Hunters were the most powerful branch, smallest in number but far superior in ability._

_"The main core in the Valens System was the Infantry Team, 8 Rifle Troopers (RTs). All wielded the long, heavy 'Black Burner' rifle. Injuries, surgeries, and casualties could keep them as low as 4. Each team was supposed to have an elected Team Leader who would speak for them, but this was rarely the case; criminals tended to lack the comradery. _

_"5 Infantry Teams made a Platoon, led by a Platoon Master (PM). Each Team Leader reported to the PM._

_"2 Platoons made a Company, led by a Company Master (CM). The paper strength was 80, but was more often around 50. The 2 PMs would answer directly to the CM, a veteran hunter or in unprecedentedly rare cases an RT. 5 teams of Hunters -on average 4 per team- would be attached to a Company._

_"5 Platoons made a Wing, lead by a Wing Master (WM). A settlement could be protected and policed by a Wing. The WM also commanded an auxiliary force of around 100 hunters._

_"2 Wings made a Battalion, which garrisoned a frontline fortress. The paper strength was 800 RTs with 200 Hunters._

_"5 Battalions made a Brigade, the largest standing unit in the Valens System. The Brigade Master (BM) was promoted by, and answered to, the queen or a Field Marshal. The BM held substantial power: unchallenged authority in the province they were stationed. The BM could assume the role of governor in that province to ensure that military and civilian needs were met without conflict. Paper strength was 4,000 RTs with an auxiliary force of 1,000 hunters; but they could operate at half strength. _

_"Field Marshal was a temporary position in which Queen Valens would give a BM power over multiple Brigades. Historically, this was done in times of crisis, namely the Grimm Invasions that dot Vale's past. Qrow Branwen was given charge of fortifying the North River, a massive operation that started with 5 Brigades but quickly doubled; however, his time with the title was temporarily extended upon the death of Valens._

"_The 'Black Burner' fires a heavy dust round that would leave black burns in the holes of the enemy. With a length of 4.5 feet and a weight of 14 pounds it is a powerful, yet primitive weapon. It was a single-shot rifle that fired heavy dust rounds designed to pierce the toughest Grimm. Once fired, its feeding chamber pops open, ejects the empty shell, and waits for the users to insert a fresh round. Explosive red dust was the most common, though I did see ice and lightning being used a few times. _

_-Blake Belladonna_


	10. Act Two: As Old Ways Erode

Author's Note: I crafted the Act Two story well over a year ago, around March of 2014, as a lot of you will remember. Back then, we knew nothing of Qrow, but now that we just got a new lore dump via RTX 2015 a lot more is known about Qrow, as well as Winter Schnee, new teams, etc.

I'm afraid that I will not be rewriting my story. Qrow will remain a man in his fifties with a robotic left ear and arm, scars across his body, greying hair, and rarely a smile on his face. He will bear the marks and burdens of a successful career in serving Queen Valens the Fourteenth.

**The Act Two adventure continues, September 5, 345 S.A.**

* * *

Awkward: noun. "Causing or feeling embarrassment or inconvenience."

It was how Weiss and Blake felt, standing idle in Uncle Qrow's flagship bullhead. With the armored doors up, Team WRBY and their new Brigade Master were left in a metal box of conversation: Ruby and Yang talking with their uncle, and Weiss and Blake getting to take part in none of it.

"And you crashed your motorcycle?" he asked, right hand on his hip as he interrogated his older niece. He had always expected Yang to look out for Ruby, and hearing their story of fighting the crazy lady wasn't inspiring a lot of confidence in the middle aged man.

"She went down like the stock market!" Yang happily announced as she playfully exercised on the metal support bars. Recalling her leader's request, she prompted, "Say, uncle, do you know what's happening with her? I know it's only been a few days, buuut maybe you know something?"

Shaking his head, and reflecting light off of his metallic left ear, Qrow explained, "We're not going to know for a while. The right people will restrain her with appropriate measures."

"I'm thinking sedatives," Ruby postured as she hung loosely by her left arm. "Lots and looots of sedatives." A woman of such power, with such incredible aura and a mysterious semblance would require nothing less.

"Perhaps," Qrow shrugged as he analyzed his travelers. Clad in third generation Segmentation Armor, he felt some relief in knowing that their leader could afford quality equipment for them. Looking to Weiss, he finally confronted, "And you were the one to give the order for attack?"

Holding her head high, Weiss firmly nodded. "Being the senior officer at the time, I did."

Frowning sharply, Qrow gave more light to the discolored scar that ran from his robotic ear down to his chin. Even without such helpful lighting, Weiss could see the disapproval in his gun-grey eyes. "A tactically competent officer would exercise caution in the face of such odds," he sternly lectured.

But, Weiss wasn't one to take criticism without a few feisty comments of her own. "A tactically competent officer also knows to follow orders, especially if those orders come from the Hunter's Code."

Taking in a sharp breath, Qrow began to forcefully offer his rebuttal as Yang quickly interrupted him. "Uncle, just relax!" she coaxed with a smile. "It wasn't all that bad! Besides, we're hunters in training! We have our licenses to carry weapons in the capital and all that fun stuff! It's what we're supposed to do, so don't worry so much about the job."

Breathing a small sigh, Qrow offered his right hand to her. "Yang... I have lost much to the hazards of this _job_." Careful to keep his left arm hidden under his royal blue cloak, he stated, "In all likelihood, the four of you shall lose much as well; I just don't want you to lose a limb because of a stupid risk."

Taking his hand in her own, Yang nodded along. "We understand, uncle."

Gently squeezing, Qrow recalled many unpleasant memories as he warned, "You keep watching over Ruby, okay?"

"Hey!" Ruby protested in annoyance. "I can take care of myself just fine!" It had always been like this. Her uncle was protective, her sister was protective, but at least her milk never told her to put that loaded gun down. "I took off the ear of one of Those Who Fell, you know!" she attempted to brag.

"My precious Ruby," Qrow gently laughed as he knelt before her, taking her hand into his own. "I took off four from this job to train you and Yang at Signal. I was ready to be at your side for as long as necessary until you got into Beacon. I can assure you that I know what you're capable of."

Sighing, Ruby gave her old man an accepting hug. "I guess if you'd choose me over Queen Valens, you would have faith in me."

"I trust you and your sister to look out for one another," he murmured as he held his niece tight.

Blake caught a smile on him.

"And you, Miss Schnee," he politely but curtly addressed, releasing his niece and standing tall once more. "I acknowledge your authority as their team leader," he recognized. "But they are my family. Don't do _anything rash_," he warned with a frown. "Your family name means nothing in the army."

"I acknowledge your authority, Brigade Master," she politely but equally curtly responded.

"We're approaching home base, My Lord!" their pilot announced from the cockpit. "We need a new dust battery, so I gotta put us down now!"

"Right!" Qrow thanked as he smacked the bright, red button on the ceiling. As the doors on either side opened, he gave his first order to Weiss, "And while you're under my authority you shall exercise proper conduct and address me and all other commanding officers as _'My Lord'_. Is that clear?"

He said it with such a tone of power and force that Weiss immediately answered over the roaring wind and engines, "Yes, My Lord!" before mentally slapping herself for giving in so easily.

Satisfied with her obedience, Qrow turned his attention to the great outdoors. "Team WRBY, welcome to Forever Fall Outpost Number One!" he yelled over the noise of the engines. "As you can see, Queen Valens has been using a lot of Thermobaric Bombs!"

Destruction was the first thought that came to Blake's mind. There had clearly been a thick forest here before, but thousands upon thousands of acres had been leveled by dust-powered fire. The ground was relatively level, but it was an unsightly burnt black, for everything had been annihilated. Even the rocks had been turned to ash.

"Wow!" Ruby gasped in awe at the utter devastation of the landscape. This was the strength of Vale. "How many Thermobaric Bombs did you use?!" she wondered with bewildered curiosity.

"Over four thousand, my dear Ruby! And in just three weeks, too!" he revealed with monotone pride in both his army and its efficiency in making bombing runs. "We cleared most of this side before running out, and it'll take a few months to resupply; so Queen Valens is continuing the job with her Royal Guard!"

"Why not get other kingdoms to help you make more?!" Yang asked over the roar of their bullhead. Three other kingdoms, all more advanced than Vale was, already gave supplies and troops of their own through various deals, and they suffered from the malicious, parasitic forests too.

Brigade Master Qrow curtly reminded his niece, "Because our Thermobaric Bombs are a closed-door deal, my dear Yang. Valens earns a hefty sum from the secret recipe, and she's not about to lose it." It was rather humorous, Valens' troops moving across the world and dropping their own, special bombs on designated targets, just to ensure that no one outside the kingdom could learn to make the devices for themselves. Such was the way of macroeconomics and imperial politics, games he had thankfully never played.

Amidst the ruined landscape lay the new base, an exotic sight for Team WRBY as Vale hadn't undergone such an operation in many decades. The camp itself was a simple rectangular shape with the North and South walls twice as long as the East and West walls. Two triangular gates jutted out on the north and south, with a distinct dirt road leading up to the South Gate. Inside the camp were rows upon rows of white tents stretching from the West Wall to almost all the way to the other side. Crudely built wooden structures hugged the South wall. But there were just a few people moving back and forth along the small dirt pathways, and only a handful of soldiers were patrolling the crudely constructed wooden walls.

About a hundred meters beyond the main camp, Blake observed an additional construction project: a rampart of some sort. The trench being dug looked like it would surround the camp once completed with the dirt being used to fill the wall. She found it odd that no one was working on it.

She found it even more odd that the entire garrison of Rifle Troopers and auxiliary teams of hunters were standing in a long, thin line: RTs in a double line with clumps of hunters in the back. Wooden watchtowers dotted the scene, no doubt holding the senior officers and incoming student teams. It was a standard formation, but there was nothing ahead of them but a few hundred meters of black, burnt landscape and the massive, daunting river.

"What's going on?!" Ruby wondered over the noisy engines as they began to descend in front of the South Gate. They appeared to be waiting, but for what?

"A pincer movement!" Qrow answered as they touched down amidst the other bullheads, kicking up burnt dirt. The personnel didn't seem bothered by it, which Blake found to be quite odd.

As the engines died down a bit, the five of them set foot on solid ground once again and were greeted by spars cheers from the patrols on the walls and the people loading up the bullheads. "Brigade Master on site!" one man happily announced from the wall. "You'd better get up front, My Lord!" he shouted. "They've already started!"

"Thank you very much!" Qrow offered as he and Team WRBY quickened their pace through the gate. "Come, girls," he ordered as briskly as he walked.

Assuming her position in her team's diamond formation, Blake was quick to take in the field hospital on their left and the auto shop on her right. The field hospital was sparsely stocked with patients, all lying in bed with a few doctor figures making the rounds. She noticed several supply crates marked for bandages and refrigeration units designated for blood bags. The auto shop had a few vehicles, at least two partially disassembled transport trucks with spare parts scattered about; but no one was on staff.

Passing these two wooden installations, they came upon the massive rows of white tents that filled much of the western half of the camp. Over four hundred people would sleep in this one section, but it too was vacant.

"My Lord!" a dark skinned woman announced, drawing their attention to the eastern half. To Blake's surprise, they kept their pace, forcing the woman in uniform to run after them.

"Yes, Company Master?" Qrow offered with amicability as she began to catch up with him.

"Queen Valens called in while you were gone. She and her Royal Guard are on schedule, and we've already killed a few Grimm," she explained as she moved to Qrow's right side, passing a large structure on the right for toiletries, the scent of odor-removing sprays making Weiss hold her breath in disgust.

"I'd expect nothing less from Her Majesty," he commented as they ran out of the North Gate, ignoring the sparse cheers from the soldiers stationed there. "Let's move, people!" he ordered as he pooled his aura and activated his semblance, flying away in a storm of dying leaves.

Blake wore a small smirk of guilt for her partner as she, Weiss, and Ruby used their own semblances to leave Yang behind.

_**"AAARGH!"**_ the blonde roared in frustration, sending a chill down the Wing Master's spine. "Why am I the _**ONLY** _one who doesn't have super speed?!" she demanded as she used her newly acquired shotgun greaves to accelerate. She still couldn't hope to catch up with them, but she was at least able to leave the Company Master in a cloud of dust.

Controlling her breathing as she rocketed across the black, burnt flatland, Yang frowned at the sight of her uncle's semblance; she could fondly recall his trail of leaves being bright green. But she quickly returned to the present and, with a carefully timed landing, hopped over the partially constructed rampart and made her way out to the very sparse battle line.

Atop the the burnt remnants of the forest stood the strength of Vale: The teams of hunters and huntresses who had spent the better parts of their years killing Grimm. Strategically stationed in the back, the teams were ready for anything. In front of them were the Rifle Troopers, common men and women, faunus and human alike, many of whom were criminals deemed worthy of redemption through service. Spread out about eight feet apart, she could easily see the front rank kneeling with the back rank standing tall in their simple white jackets laced in ammo belts and black pants tucked into black boots.

As Blake and the others came upon the scene a small detachment of twenty Rifle Troopers accompanied a very panick stricken Company Master. Her eyebrows went up in surprise as she saw their blue sleeves. "Royal Guard?" she wondered aloud as they slowed to a stop, shotgun blasts growing louder.

"They're supposed to be with Queen Valens," Weiss commented to herself as she came to a graceful stop, combat skirt fluttering in the wind.

_"My Lord!"_ the Wing Master practically bawled as she and the Royal Guard Rifle Troopers stood ready to shoot. "_Who's firing?!_ I ordered the reserves to stand guard-"

"That is my niece!" Qrow quickly answered with absolute authority and enough volume to inform the surrounding troopers. "Ignore her and reform your ranks!" he curtly ordered with a dramatic wave of his right arm, casting his gaze to the West and eying down the troopers who dared to turn their heads.

Solemnly bowing before her lord, the Wing Master offered Qrow a small, electrically amplified trumpet. "Yes, My Lord. I hereby relinquish command of my Wing to you, My Lord."

Blake caught the sound of a small grunt from the Brigade Master as he took the device into his left, robotic hand. Gun metal grey armor plating coated the black appendage. She assumed that he worked well with it in combat, judging by the vicious scrapes that the plating had endured; yet he seemed to take deliberate steps in hiding it.

The shotgun blasts finally stopped as Yang rejoined the group, smashing into the ground. "Yeah, no, I'm fine! I'll just use up all my ammo tryin'ta keep up with you hedgehogs," she complained as she knelt down to reload her greaves.

"We'll discuss the matter later," Qrow ended as he used his right hand to slide an armored panel back and accessed his arm-mounted Scroll. Pulling up a holographic interphase, he firmly announced, "Company Masters, this is Brigade Master Qrow. I am resuming command of all forces, stand by." Closing the screen, he looked to the Wing Master. "What is the current status of our Grimm movement?" he inquired as the group began to move to a crudely constructed watchtower that overlooked the lines and field ahead.

Matching pace with Her Lord, the Wing Master answered, "Eight naval mines have already detonated. None have made it across the river!"

Blake inwardly cursed as her hidden ears twitched from the sudden, powerful crack of a Black Burner rifle farther down the line. Such a loud noise caught all of Team WRBY off guard, but a rallying cheer from surrounding soldiers reassured them.

The Wing Master quickly corrected, "One made it across the river."

Ignoring the small incursion, Qrow continued, "I didn't see the artillery units deployed."

"It didn't seem wise, my lord; Queen Valens is driving them into the river, and we have no idea how close the Royal Guard is to the danger zone," the Wing Master logically reasoned. Friendly fire was one thing. Killing the queen was a bit harder to justify.

Nodding, Qrow encouraged, "Next time have them ready."

Bowing slightly as the group reached their designated watchtower, she acknowledged, "Yes, My Lord."

Qrow ordered as he moved to climb, "That will be all, Wing Master. Return to your assigned post."

"Yes, My Lord!" Drawing her weapon, she quickly moved down the line as booming explosions erupted from the river and smaller pops echoed from the forestline

The five paused as the explosions started going off in greater succession. The atmosphere among the ranks shifted to dead silence, many taking aim and waiting.

"Come, ladies," Qrow ordered as he quickly climbed the tower. "I'd rather be in my flagship, but this view shall suffice."

"Shouldn't we be with the other hunters?" Ruby asked before Weiss could complain.

As he helped his niece into the wooden tower, Qrow explained, "You four have never contended with Grimm of experienced age." As mines and rifles began to voice their actions with greater audacity, he elaborated, "The creatures you've killed were the youngest, most erratic of the demons. These creatures have acquired greater power."

"We can still fight," Yang reasoned as she joined the rest of her team.

"Not until you see the power of a seventy-year-old Ursa Major," he firmly ended. Raising his robotic arm, he radioed, "Brigade Master to Bullhead Master. What is your current status, over?"

The pilot from before quickly responded, "We'll be up in the skies in just a few more minutes, My Lord, over!"

Black Burner rifles _**CRACKED** _as Team WRBY observed the display of Vale's strength. Amidst the craters and desolated landscape they could clearly observe the charging hordes pouring out of the forest line and making a mad swim across the great river. Triggering the naval mines, clumps soared into the sky; but the majority were managing to cross and make a mad dash across the desolated landscape, giving the row of Rifle Troopers the ideal opportunity they had trained for.

"Woah," Yang murmured as a massive, greyed horde, several hundred strong, spilled from the forest line. Forced between power of Queen Valens and the calm water of the river, they began to swim and make for the other side out of desperation.

The maximum killing range of the Black Burner rifle in the hands of an average Rifle Trooper was six hundred meters.

"Haven't you mined the terrain on our side?" Blake worried as the horde finally crossing the river and began to spill inland. Those that attempted to flee East or West were easily felled.

"No," Qrow growled in frustration. "We won't be fully deployed for another month at least, so we're spread too thin. Not enough troopers, not enough hunters, not enough _equipment_," he spat as the Rifle Troopers began to unload with optimal speed and deadly accuracy, both rows engaging in a steady barrage and downing many of the powerful beasts with as few as two shots.

Yet the beasts quickly advanced, even as they were picked apart. Ursas, Taijiti, Beowolves, Creeps, Death Stalkers, Boarbatusks, all were of greater size and more heavily armored. Fur was not the dark black of youth, but instead grey; some were even white with age. The horde stampeded towards the thin line that safeguarded humanity's precious survival, even as they slowly decreased in numbers.

Blake detected a small growl from her leader and could sense the girl's slight distress from all of the noise. With a symphony of rifles in front of her and a growing drone in the back, she and her leader were caught in the middle of the sounds of survival. Raised in luxury, Weiss wasn't used to the violent racket of such an environment. The second-in-command allowed a small smirk to creep upon her lips.

The ideal killing range of the Black Burner rifle in the hands of an average Rifle Trooper was five hundred meters.

Red smoke from the rifles slowly began to ploom into sizable clouds, tinting Team WRBY's view in a lightish red. The scented clouds quickly dispersed as a low-flying wave of bullheads arrived upon the scene, keeping at about one hundred feet in the air. The fleet of twenty-five airships moved slowly overhead, giving clear view of their massive, singular cannon on their bellies.

Raising his mechanical arm, Qrow ordered, "This is Brigade Master. All bullheads: Pick your targets and go."

Weiss jumped, grinding her teeth in annoyance as the sudden, sharp pain in her ears dulled into a low ringing. She could feel the flying bits of dust and dirt hit her face and catch in her hair, but she kept her eyes open and took note of the discipline that Valens instilled. The infantry held fast as the bullheads split into two lines, flanking either side of the horde.

Armored doors swung open, revealing two Rifle Troopers in each airship. Being a hundred feet above the threat, they were more than happy to safely chuck their Thermobaric Grenades into the crowd. A little fire in the right place went a long way, and once their arsenals was depleted they commenced with their own sniper fire.

The guaranteed killing range of the Black Burner rifle in the hands of an average Rifle Trooper was four hundred meters.

Yet, with three sides coming under fire, the Grimm raged forward. They couldn't go back, and they'd be picked apart if they dispersed. No, their best chance of surviving this was to stay the course. Boldly they rode, the soon to be six hundred and then less.

Trumpet in his right hand, Qrow raised his communications and called out, "Company Masters, prepare for the first trumpet call, stand by."

As the three CMs quickly responded, "Yes, My Lord!" they began shouting the order down to the Rifle Troopers, and the announcement quickly made its way to everyone involved. The hunters immediately spread themselves into a single line, each five meters apart from one another. With the forewarning they were given ample time to prepare their semblances and weapons.

Blake observed their movement. They moved with no dread in their steps. The uncultivated auras of the Rifle Troopers were pulsating, mixing messes that were difficult to distinguish and read; but the hunters and huntresses were keeping theirs controlled, not condensed but holding it at the ready. She sensed no fear in them, an astounding feat. There was no concern, no panic; she felt that they trusted each other so willingly. How impressive.

Qrow waited for the Grimm to soak up a few more barrages before sounding a low, droning blast with one powerful breath. The double line of Rifle Troopers immediately broke rank and made a mad dash past the spacious line of hunters and towards the line of watch towers.

For ordinary humans and faunus who never had the luxury to develop their aura, they were able to run quite fast with their equipment. Covering one hundred meters so quickly would've taken all of Blake's speed.

The RTs finished retreating to the line of watchtowers and promptly reformed their double line just as the remaining Grimm, still being hit by the airships, crashed into the strongest warriors of Vale. Many did not survive the initial strike as fire swords, razor staffs, and colorful mages blew them away. Some used their aura to provide stamina boosts, helping to stave off the surrounding force; others used their aura to perform powerful blasts of fire, ice, and lightning attacks.

The double line began to provide carefully-picked support fire, powerful cracks and colorful dust rising once more. With the line of hunters acting as a meatgrinder in the center, the bullheads blasting from above, and the ground troops supporting, the remaining few hundred began to dwindle rapidly.

Team WRBY watched in awe as the hunters, in a single line with no immediate backup, danced on the battlefield. Each hunter became surrounded yet held their ground; with great concentration and even greater power they not only held their own against the Grimm, they cut them to shreds as they became the biggest, most dangerous pieces on the field.

A torrent of shock and gasp rippled through the ranks as everyone's attention was seized by a mysterious figure catapulting into the air, as if they'd been hiding amongst the Grimm. Raising communications, Qrow frantically asked, "Who broke formation?!"

He would receive no reply as the figure clad in the tattered remains of brown and gold gracefully landed inside one of the bullheads and swiftly encouraged the two RTs to get acquainted with the ground below. Satisfied, she took that opportunity to visit the cockpit.

"Pilot Moci!" Qrow frantically hailed. "Defend yourself!"

Communications went livid with orders and questions, the troops unsure of what to do and the other bullheads beginning to panic. Drawing everyone else's attention, the figure appeared in the doorway holding a limp Pilot Moci by his throat, only to toss him out of his own airship.

"Take it down!" Qrow angrily ordered his forces, tossing his signalling instrument to the floor and drawing his own scythe from his back. "Bring that ship down!"

"Ruby, see if you can line up a shot!" Weiss ordered as she, Blake, and Yang stepped back, allowing the only person on their team with a long-range, precision weapon to take aim alongside her uncle.

It was a one sided exchange, as the troopers held reservations about firing on one of their own. The rogue element promptly took advantage of their concern and summoned a stormy sphere of burning yellow shards, swirling her glowing hands about as the attack gathered energy from aura so massive in power it sent a shiver up Blake's spine.

Despite her fear, she couldn't help but wonder, "What kind of power is this?" The closest in size she could sense to this was that of Glynda Goodwitch's strength. Not even that Cinder lady had summoned this much- no, no. Cinder and Glynda were the type to control their strikes. This person was going all out right from the start.

But even then, her faunus senses weren't lying. This one's aura was different. Horrifyingly massive. Curiously unique. _Tainted_. Yet, not malicious.

A growing, glowing, flaming yellow sphere was never a good turn of events. The remaining twenty-three pilots took the pause in action to withdraw from the area with disorganized haste, leaving the hunters to fend for themselves and a torrent of radio chatter squawking all sorts of words.

The culmination of his efforts, his very own Brigade was _fragmenting_ before Qrow's very eyes. Years of struggle and triumph, so much loss, so much terror, it was all falling apart in mere, fleeting seconds. He had a mind of integrity and stern discipline, but his body began to shake. He couldn't help but drop his aim as his forces deserted the field; but Ruby stayed the course and got a good look at the figure. She took aim, heart pounding against her chest as she realized it was the creature from before.

Ruby wouldn't get to see if her shot landed. As she squeezed the trigger, the creature threw forth the electrifying sphere and unleashed a blinding, deafening thunder blast that rocked the earth and brightened the skies.

_**"It's her!"**_ Ruby yelled as she staggering back, lowering Crescent Rose as she screwed her eyes shut.

With heightened senses came heightened response, and Blake found her world spinning, ringing, and fluctuating on the color palate as she struggled to keep her breakfast down. She was perfectly content to put her pride on the shelf and her arm on Yang for support. "Who?!" Blake demanded in frustration.

Satisfied with the damage done the figure gracefully leapt from the now smoking bullhead, landing on the ground as its engines blew out with smokey blasts. She left a small crater in the blood-soaked ground as she took a powerful leap back to the river, covering easily two hundred meters.

Qrow loosed his despair as the bullhead came crashing down on its former crew.

The modern bullhead's precious, explosive dust tank was installed on the underbelly of the tail section. After all, the only way an airborne Grimm could reach it would be to somehow evade its firing arc and strike from below. With ground support, that would be an impossible task. Yet, the design of such a vessel did not account for aggressive compression. The only physical and chemical response was an explosion that extirpated the surrounding corpses, launching flaming wreckage every which way.

_**"INCOMING!"** _Ruby and Blake screamed in unison before a spinning, flaming rotary blade shattered through the tower's wooden support beams. Having sustained more hectic lifestyles, Blake Belladonna and Brigade Master Qrow were more acquainted with the floor being pulled out from under them; their cohorts, not so much.

Qrow and Blake took the initiative with epic leaps into the air, tucking and rolling into graceful flips; while Weiss used her semblance to generate a cyan snowflake beneath her, creating a small floorspace for herself and the sisters. She was only able to endure for a few seconds, but it was enough time for them to safely reacquaint with the ground.

"Wing Master, this is Brigade Master!" Qrow began as he gave a quick glance to the girls, ensuring that they weren't too injured. "I've lost my tower, what's our status?!" he demanded as he dashed over to the collapsed tower to grab his commanding instrument.

Panic in her tone, the Wing Master attempted to calmly inform him, "The RTs in First company are breaking off and running; Company Master Conatus says he can't stop them! I don't know what's happening on the right; Company Master Ignavi isn't responding to my hails!"

"What about our hunters?" Qrow demanded, returning to the girls and drawing his scythe as the RTs in front of him were losing their nerve. _**"STAND YOUR GROUND!"**_ he ordered as they turned their backs on the hunters, only to see their Brigade Master aiming his massive, single-shot, dust-blasting scythe at them.

"The hunters in First Company are on their own, Second Company is ready to do the same. I still can't contact Fifth Company, My Lord! I'm moving to rally the left!" she rapidly informed him.

"The Grimm can't last much longer. I'll move down to the right and find Ignavi," he decided, eyeing Weiss with a sense of uncertainty. "Ruby!" he ordered, turning to face his niece who snapped to attention. "Get back to the camp and tell them that I need every rifle out here now."

She was gone as soon as he turned away, leaving a gentle storm of rose petals in the dust.

Closing his communications, he turned to face the girls. "Weiss, get down to Third Company. Yang, you will remain here. Both of you: make sure that the RTs don't run. You must deal with them swiftly so that the others will stand their ground," Qrow curtly explained. "I would prefer you not kill them. We've lost enough already. Hamstrings and other parts of the leg can heal or be replaced if necessary."

"Yes, My Lord," they obediently acknowledged, Weiss drawing Myrtenaster orthogonal to her form and rocketing away.

Wails of pain and despair came from both man and beast, booming rifles and roars on either side. His bullheads had abandoned his ground forces, and Queen Valens wouldn't be able to cross the river to assist him; nor would she be able to, as her plan was to push West, driving the Grimm into each outpost along the North River. He was the first outpost in a string of fifteen spanning West, there was no way she could circle back now that her strike was in motion.

Despite the chaos and panic that swept over them all, Qrow rationalized the situation. The small part of the horde that Valens had sent his way was already down to a few hundred. Without any air or artillery support the losses would be heavier, but they would survive.

"Blake, you're with me," Qrow ordered as he took off for the far right. And at the end of the day: survival of the kingdom was the top priority.

* * *

_"Brigade Master Qrow and I found that the Company Master had abandoned his post in fear, leaving his assigned troops to their fate. Luckily for us they had held together long enough for their leader to arrive and restore order. The operation ended up being a mixed success, as a lot of the Grimm succeeded in escaping back across the North River._

_"I had never witnessed so much terror before. It was an eye-opening day for us all. But we came out on top, despite there being a great many casualties. Twelve Rifle Troopers had been electrocuted from that creature's lightning charge alone, and fifteen hunters died that day. The last of the Grimm were cut down, and when the wounded were carried back to the campsite Brigade Master Qrow had everyone fall back to the walls._

_"Weiss and Yang told me that they didn't have to kill anyone, fortunately. They would spill blood in the years to come, but they had the blessing of preserving their innocence that day. The Brigade Master was not so blessed. An entire Company ran away, resulting in the deaths of valuable hunters; the Wing's assigned bullhead fleet also flew off in panic; and according to Ruby the people left in the camp were apparently thinking about doing the same._

_"Some hours after the fighting had ended, the bullhead pilots returned with some of the First Company RTs. It would take two weeks for the rest to be rounded up. Much to everyone's surprise, Qrow did not have them executed. Desertion is usually an open-shut case of being found guilty and then being beheaded. Instead, everyone found guilty was given a life sentence in service to the state, and that's the last I would ever heard of First Company or the bullhead pilots._

_"My team and I spent the remainder of the day digging the outer trench. It was late in the evening that Saturday when Queen Valens finally contacted the outposts, informing them of her successful hammer swing to the West. Once she had confirmed that the anvil forces had survived, she quickly moved across the river to Outpost 15, deposited her wounded, and moved east with the remainder of her Royal Guard until she reached us, Outpost 1. It was a crowded camp that weekend."_

_-Blake Belladonna_

* * *

The makeshift field hospital that had been constructed emanated pain and despair for those who had not received major injuries. As soon as the battle had ended, operations began. Limbs had to be replaced. Those who succumbed to their wounds were loudly mourned by their friends and teammates.

Sitting around one of the many campfires that were lit inside the crudely constructed walls of their outpost, Team WRBY enjoyed relative warmth that contrasted the chilling September night. What a day, their first of many in this exposure to their future. Each enjoying a well earned plate of roasted Boarbatusk, the girls discussed the events that had transpired.

"Does the military still do hanging?" Yang asked as she tossed a bone into the fire, sparking a foggy, black smoke to mingle with the flames. "The crime for desertion is death, obviously, but, like, sixty guys up and left. How do you efficiently dispose of that many people in one go?" she pondered. Actively killing citizens of Vale was the last thing on non-terrorist's minds. The methods weren't exactly developed.

"I suppose you could group them all together and drop a Thermobaric Bomb on them," Ruby theorized as she chewed on the hastily cooked flesh of their mortal enemy. "But that would take out everything else."

Weiss was more than happy to take her mind off the constant, stinging chill that clung to her bare legs. "Beheading is the usual method of execution these days. Shooting them wastes ammunition, and hanging is an ancient technique."

"We're an ancient kingdom," Ruby remarked, noting the girl's shivering and untying her cloak. "Even the weapons these troopers use are ancient by today's standards," she summarized as she moved to drape her girlfriend in her prized blood red cloak.

"Thank you," Weiss murmured with a smile. As Ruby sat back down and resumed eating, she got comfy. "Besides, I can't imagine your uncle to be the type to waste resources. I'm sure he'll give them all dishonorable discharges and put them to work in some fields somewhere."

"Well, that's 'cause we have the Grimm breathing down our necks," Yang explained as she chewed on the flesh of their enemy. Vale didn't have the luxury of wasting goods and services. "Once something's good enough, then it's good enough; you gotta move on to the next job and make sure everything's running smoothly."

"We are definitely in the worst position of the four kingdoms," Blake assessed as she attempted to get used to the strange taste of the camp's water. "We have forest-dwelling Grimm in the north and south pushing in all year around. No other kingdom has that problem."

"True," Ruby agreed. "And now we have one of Those Who Fell roaming around out there," she sighed with a grimace. Such a display of power had scared everyone today, and nearly blinded her.

"I'm surprised at her power," Blake admitted. "I wonder what happened to her. She can't be any ordinary person."

"Yeah, she was as strong as Glynda," Yang compared. "And like that Cinder lady too. But Glynda had years to harness and gain power like that; this girl looked about your age, Blake."

A sudden uproar came from the South Gate, drawing Team WRBY's attention away from their meal. Whistling, cheering, hooting and hollering, the sudden shift in mood had only one explanation.

"Presenting her Imperial Majesty, Queen Valens the Fourteenth!"

Team WRBY, along with three-hundred other inhabitants, stood to attention as everyone celebrated the arrival of their favorite soldier queen. Escorted by only the most loyal and courageous of her personal bodyguard, the woman of the hour made her debut. Illuminated by numerous campfires, the woman was quite visible for the nighttime.

Despite her sunken cheeks and dark bags under her eyes, she waved to both aisles of tents as everyone welcomed her to their humble abode. The barrage of discolored scars that swarmed her bronzed face were outshone by her smile, one she wore with great pride as she received her welcome.

Blake didn't recall her being that tall. Easily six feet, if not a bit more. Then again, she hadn't seen the queen in person before; and what she knew of her was through official records and White Fang opinions.

Valens raised both arms, her left being of flesh, and her right being of metal all the way down to shoulder. Smiling ear to ear, her green eyes shone like emeralds as she shook hands, hugged, and bowed to as many people as she could get to while moving to the center of the camp.

As she came within full view of Team WRBY, Blake's gaze fell from the her short, ruffled white hair to the gun metal grey, horrifically abused Model Three Segmentation Armor, and then to the metal-plated skirt that came down to her knees, which were also made of metal.

The robotic legs themselves had sustained much abuse, scraps plastered all across the white, armored plating that protected the inner workings.

Their appearances caught the queen's attention. She came to a stop, placing her right, robotic arm on her hip. It was about as well off as her legs. "Well!" she loudly began, silencing everyone. "Either I'm getting older, or you're _**ALL** _getting younger!" she announced, giving off a bright smile and sharing in the hearty uproar that flowed through the camp.

The four girls stuttered, all of the camp eyeing them now. Should they talk? Remain silent? Bow? Apologize? Laugh along with everyone else?

"That is the team I told you about!" Brigade Master Qrow informed her as he came upon the scene. "Your Majesty," he introduced as he moved to wrap his favored arm around Ruby. "These are my nieces, Ruby and Yang, and their teammates Blake and Weiss."

"Really now!" Her Majesty gasped with a smirk, eyes of the camp still upon her. "Then I suppose we must all congratulate them! After all, we would not be here if these four had not terrified the Grimm into leaving Forever Fall!" she heartily theorized as she offered her right, robotic hand to the four of them.

Blake accepted, immediately recognizing the frigid cold that clung to her scarred, metallic appendage as well as the condensed aura that gently resonated within the middle aged woman.

This time, the cheering was far less vocal. Amicability was not so popular today, not when friends and comrades had been lost. Still, if the queen says to kiss, you ask for which cheek.

Valens either didn't notice or didn't care. "And what's this?!" she wondered, pointing to Ruby's Crescent Rose. "Young child, did you build your own Eclipse Canna?"

Weiss and Blake shared a look of confusion as Ruby pridefully presented Crescent Rose. "Yes, Your Majesty! Mine uses the smaller, Atlas cartridges; but I can fire multiple rounds with a bolt system!" she elaborated as she extended the weapon into its scythe mode, careful not to hit her teammates.

Nodding along, Valens congratulated, "Your uncle has spoken highly of you and your sister. You know, I had to sign his discharge papers, because he insisted on teaching you two at Signal!"

Ruby and Yang laughed along, not sure where she was going with that remark.

"But I digress!" Valens digressed, stepping back. "This kingdom's people owe you much! The last time Vale won territory from the Grimm was from Fuchsia Valens in two-sixty-three!" she recalled, thinking briefly of her grandmother, the last conqueror. "So you can be sure that there will be a more formal acknowledgement during the Vytal Festival!" she informed them, motioning for Qrow to rejoin her, smiling falling off altogether.

As Her Majesty left the scene with Qrow at her side, more hunters poured into the vacant lots of the campsite, eager to pitch tents for the night.

"Well," Yang grinned as they happily resumed their campfire bonding session. "We got to see real combat, meet the queen, and nobody we knew died. I'd say it's been a pretty good day."

"She seemed so… insincere," Blake tactfully observed.

"It's part of the act," Weiss explained. "You meet people you don't care about, and you put on a smile while you're interacting with them. I'm sure she doesn't hate us; she is probably just busy." Turning to Ruby, she asked, "So what did she mean by 'Eclipse Canna'?"

"That's my uncle's weapon!" Ruby answered with a smile. Giggling at her leader's facial comprehension, she asked, "You thought his weapon didn't have a name?"

Shaking her head, Weiss stated, "I just don't think I've ever seen a Canna flower before." It was a brief observation, for her team was tired. They had experienced a full day of drama and were more than happy to finish their meal and snuggle up in their tent. Having learned her lesson, Weiss planned on packing warm leggings for the future. Maybe Ruby could help her with that.

* * *

_"That was as intimate as I would ever be with Valens the Fourteenth. One brief, fleeting handshake where I saw into her soul. Only certain faunus possess the ability to detect aura, and even fewer can hone the skill, so I possess a rather unique perspective on the woman. I'm sure more experienced individuals who knew the woman better than I did could shed more light on her character, but from that one interaction I could sense that she carried with her many burdens of great weight. It went beyond the job of running a kingdom, which she had been doing since 313 SA._

_"Most auras I sense are large, hot entities that bubble, boil, shift, expand, jump, and go through a wide range of changes. Her aura was a highly condensed sphere of frigid vibration. It was not anger. Perhaps it was depression or fatigue. This was a fifty five year old woman who had lost friends, parents, and three limbs. Still, I'm in no position to evaluate her psyche._

_"Sunday was a more routine day. We awoke with the others and worked shoulder to shoulder with them in tending to the wounded, digging, and patrolling. Brigade Master Qrow had entered into a conference with Her Majesty and other important figures, so we took orders from the Wing Master before being flown back to Beacon in the late evening."_

_-Blake Belladonna_


	11. Act Two: Aging Powers Struggle, Part A

**September 6, 345 S.A.**

Her rhythmic tapping would have been calming for the bustling camp of Outpost 1 on the ashlands of the Northern River. But it was coming from Her Majesty, and everyone within the establishment knew that Queen Valens was an impatient woman; there was always work, and she resolved it as fast as possible. Impeding that progress was an unwise course of action. Thus, she put her only remaining limb of flesh, her precious left arm, to use by tapping on the table.

Within the confining and temporary wooden structure that served as the camp's command post, the Fourteenth Queen of Vale sat with three assistants in the background. They kept their heart rates as level as possible, for they could see her growing frustration. Luckily, the guest of honor arrived at last.

Hurrying into the room, Brigade Master Qrow -or rather, Field Marshal Qrow- announced himself. "I apologize for the wait, Your Majesty," he began, offering a sincere bow towards her.

"I take it your nieces are in good health?" she snipped, not a single grey hair moving as she spoke.

Grunting to himself, Qrow shut the door behind him and moved to take his place at the table. "I wanted to reprimand one of them for discharging their weapons without clearance."

"They're children," she scoffed. "What can you expect from them?"

"Only the best," Qrow answered, ignoring her disdain. After all, he had risked his own life and put his career on hold for them.

"Let them be the best ditch diggers today," she ended. There were bigger boarbatusks to bash for the Fourteenth Queen of Vale.

Sitting down, he dared to take in her brown skin, covered in scars and. The woman's piercing green eyes met him, and they weren't friendly. "I do care for them, very deeply," he apologized once more.

Blatantly rolling her eyes, Valens waved her precious left arm in dismissal. "I do not have the time to lecture you, a man of fifty-five. We have fifteen fortresses to build, so let us commence with the meeting; I leave in the evening to conduct the interrogation on the terrorists."

Happy to oblige, Qrow cleared his throat and began, "Casualties are-"

"Yes, yes!" Valens snapped, lips curling and nostrils flaring. "I know all about the casualties! And it's all because of this renegade hunter, or one of Those Who Fell, or whatever!" she vented. "All thanks to the _wonderful _efforts of Team WRBY!" she frustratingly proclaimed.

"I noticed your lack of enthusiasm last night," Qrow acknowledged. "Is there any serious issue that needs to be discussed?" If she wasn't happy with something, it was best to get her to talk about it, let she fume.

"Forever Fall was a small frontier," Valens lamented as she rolled her head, causing audible pops in her neck. "It was never a problem, and now we have this massive river."

"But the conquest was done under your reign," Qrow reminded her. "You shall be immortalized, Your Majesty. You'll be hailed like Fuchsia Valens." Everyone knew her name. One could not attend a school in Vale without having to write at least one paper on the last conqueror.

Waving her favorite hand in dismissal, she groaned, "My grandmother took over some marshlands, and all of a sudden she's hailed as a conqueror. I've no need for such titles, Qrow. I also have no choice but to construct a brand new frontier twice as long as the old one. The old fortresses are worthless; the old roads are worthless; and now I'm suffering a manpower shortage!"

Qrow attempted to reassure, "It's nothing you can't handle, Your Majesty. We can replenish the losses."

"Of course, of course." Scrunching her lips, Valens continued, "I'll have reinforcements out here by the end of the year, but yesterday's incident has stirred up quite the commotion. Every Brigade wants to know if we're in danger, and my lines have been blown up with requests from all over the net." Panic was descending upon all of Vale, and Valens needed to figure out what she was combatting.

Dropping a Thermobaric Bomb on the problem usually got rid of it, but she had used up the kingdom's entire supply on this awful river frontier. It would take months for the factories in the Central Mountains to rebuild the arsenal. Too bad, she lamented. If the production wasn't a government secret she could outsource it to other kingdoms.

"What would you have me do, Your Majesty?" Qrow diffused. It was his go-to question for calming Her Majesty. She could throw a fit of rage, but she could also reign herself in when presented with the infamous, subservient question of 'How can I help you?'.

Sighing, Valens swallowed hard as her left hand began to fidget. "I can't just tell the troopers to shoot anyone who has rabbit ears, now can I." Tone leveling out, she hoped, "But you did tell me of this creature before?"

Nodding, Qrow explained, "They met this creature in Forever Fall. One of them managed to wound the creature before it escaped. The appendage was sent to the Capital for study." From what he could gather, there was no evidence of any more of those creatures out there. One was proving troublesome enough at this rate anyways.

"Has that yielded any results?" Valens wondered, a hint of desperation in her tone. Every brigade master, every governor, even some of the Western majors were sending messages concerning the matter.

"Very troubling," Qrow answered. "The tissue is dead on a cellular level, but at the same time it produces an aura of Grimm."

Frowning, Valens asked, "Is this a symbiotic or parasitic relationship for the original tissue?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Qrow explained, "Apparently it's both. The auralogists said that the Grimm aura revives the faunus aura, while the biologists said that the faunus tissue allows the Grimm matter to resonate and strengthen it."

Craning her head up to the ceiling, Valens quickly lost interest in the lecture. Releasing a low growl, she tilted her head back down and asked, "Can I kill this thing or not?"

Restraining himself, Qrow nodded.

"Scribe One!" Valens called out, snapping her head towards the intern. "Find the members of Team WRBY," she demanded. "Have them compile a report on their encounter with the creature in question now."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the intern hastily responded, bolting out the door.

"Qrow, send the old report to me again; I'll review it later."

"Yes, Your Majesty," he acknowledged, bowing his head and conveniently copying the file via Scroll.

"Until I'm brought up to speed on this rogue, we'll just have to be on our guard." Satisfied with the plan of investigation, Valens decided, "Next topic!" Motioning for a second scribe to approach, she began, "The deserters. I can understand their fear, but I can't send a message to the entire kingdom that I'll allow people to break the annual oath they swear to me."

The second intern performed a few swipes and taps on his Scroll, causing the surface of the table to light up with a gentle blue. The desired documents and pictures appeared on its surface and projected into a three dimensional slideshow for Qrow.

"The Rifle Troopers will work in factories." Swiping through the profile pictures of the twenty-five deserters, Valens thought aloud, "But execution twenty-five skilled pilots is a waste, and pardoning them would set an unacceptable precedent. And if I reassign them to work for the state, others might decide to take their chances." Turning her gaze from the holograms to her newest Field Marshal, Valens offered with complete sincerity, "They were your responsibility. What would you have me do with them, Qrow?"

Qrow let out a small breath. He could breath easy, knowing that she was calming down. "To be fair," he carefully began. "They only took flight after they saw one of their own being killed and thrown from his Bullhead. That would instill panic among most peo-" he attempted to justify.

Raising her left hand to silence him, Valens shot down, "I'm not here to be _fair_, Qrow."

Many lost their patience with this woman, but Qrow had interacted with her far longer than many. "Then I suggest you reassign them." Seeing the look of displeasure, he elaborated, "If you keep me on this project as Field Marshal, I'm going to need as many experienced people as I can get. There are plenty of Thermobaric Bomb factories in the Central Mountains that need skilled delivery pilots. Send them there, and everyone wins."

Valens paused. Qrow's solution was certainly better than picking beans or rotting in a mass grave. "Very well," she acknowledged. "Scribe! Write that down! Convicted pilots. Labor. Thermobaric Bomb factories. Central Mountains."

"Then what is the next item on the agenda, Your Majesty?" Qrow prompted, drawing her out of thought.

Operating the holographic UI, Valens pulled up a map of the area. "I've never done any expansion operations, Qrow. No one has, not since Fuchsia."

"Your grandmother would be proud of you," Qrow complimented. "One must endure great loss just to-"

"Don't patronize me," she spat as she pointed to Outpost 1 on their holographic interface. "Now, you were telling me before about a lack of troops for this outpost?" Much had happened since their last talk via radio, and her memory was only human.

Brow furrowing, Qrow scrunched his lips in disappointment as he corrected, "I was referring to all fifteen, not just this one. If you want me to effectively defend the entire length of this river I'm going to need more manpower."

Sighing in frustration, Valens compromised, " I can replenish your losses, but that will have to do for now."

"This frontier will remain vulnerable until the fortifications are completed. The Northern Valley and East Marshes have been firmly occupied for decades and are not in any danger," he argued. "My zone should be regarded with more importance, and you can find the manpower by diverting transfers," he firmly but gently suggested. "Instead of transferring people into your Royal Guard you could transfer them into new Brigades, which I could use to strengthen this zone."

"And delay my next campaign?" Valens finished, unamused. Grimm incursions were at an all time low, thanks to her decision to take the fight to their forests. If someone didn't depopulate the borders, they would slowly build up and overflow into her kingdom. It had to be her, and he wanted to derail that?

Qrow offered a solution. "You've delayed such operations before, but your kingdom is taking in many new peoples thanks to the conquest of Forever Fall. Let's run a recruitment campaign for the global tourname-"

Slamming her hand against the table, Valens exclaimed, "I had forgotten all about the Vytal Festival!" Turning in her chair, she pointed to her second assistant and ordered, "Contact the Governing Council. Tell them to issue orders to all of the cities taking in foreign peoples. They are to prepare for a new recruiting campaign immediately! We'll start with Vale itself."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the assistant acknowledged before dashing out of the room.

"Indeed," Valens thought aloud as she leaned back in her chair. "They'd be ready by three-forty-seven." With a fleeting smile, she asked, "How many troopers do you need?"

Hesitating on popping the question, Qrow said, "I've designed a network of fifty fortresses."

He caught that small, isolated twitch in her left eye. "Fifty fortresses?" The kingdom's frontiers had slowly been fortified over the generations, but the key word there was '_slowly'_. To undergo such a massive investment so quickly would be a strain.

Qrow's window of request was closing fast, so he gambled, "Give me five more Brigades and I can guarantee that you'll never have to worry about this pesky river ever again, Your Majesty."

"Impossible!" Valens immediately dismissed. "I won't have that kind of manpower for at least another year, and I certainly don't have the materials on hand for fifty fortresses."

"Please!" he implored, daring to raise his voice and thrusting an open hand forward. "Hear me out, Your Majesty. This river is three thousand kilometers long. A fortress every sixty kilometers would form a tough barrier, and neighboring forts could rapidly respond to any horde within the hour."

Valens' gaze slowly contorted into conflict, allowing a few moments to pass in silence.

Finishing his pitch, he murmured, "Nothing could cross this river without our approval."

Staring at the geography of the river, Valens began to see the possibilities. "I'll convene with the other kingdoms. If we work together, we can make it happen."

"Get! Go on, get!" Yang scolded, scaring a small gang of reporters and flirtatious students away from Team WRBY's door. "If you want someone to share their story, you should stop treating them like an object and more like a person!" she shouted before slamming the door shut.

"Nicely put," Blake complimented as she emerged from the bathroom, hair done up in the usual way so as to hide her ears. "If you keep dragging us into crazy adventures, Weiss, we're going to have to hire a gang to keep the reporters away."

"I could pay for that," Weiss reassured her second-in-command as she combed Ruby's hair for the night.

Leaping into her top bunk, Yang stretched herself out, popping all the joints in her body. "If we moved to Atlas we wouldn't have to worry about that One Who Fell at our doorstep."

"You can't just run away from the problem," Weiss said with thought. Seeing that Ruby was staring at her, she returned the smile, eliciting a giggle from her Standard Bearer. "If that creature is going to keep hunting, we have to do our duty and hunt her down."

"That's the logic you used when facing the Cinder lady," Blake warned as she checked her Scroll. As second-in-command, one of her responsibilities was to play secretary for Weiss at times. "Also, the repair people just texted us. They're repairing the Segmentation Armor, but the grand sum is going to be around five thousand lien."

"Transfer the amount to them, please?" Weiss kindly requested. "And if Valens were to call us to arms to fight the creature-"

"Buuut she's not going to do that, because we're just four kids with permits to carry weapons?" Yang reminded her, rolling onto her stomach and resting her right cheek on her arms. Staring down at the two lovebirds, she wondered how it might end. The odds of marriage were quite low, especially if Weiss got Ruby killed. Of course, Weiss would not live long enough to regret that.

Sensing the sudden surge of anger in Yang's aura, Blake cautiously segued the conversation. "All we have to worry about is our internship in your uncle's brigade. If Valens wants to hunt one of Those Who Fell she'll hunt with her Royal Guard, not us." At least, Blake hoped that the Royal Guard would suffice.

"Do you think she can control Grimm?" Ruby wondered, failing to hide her fear.

"Definitely," Weiss answered. "Blake was the only one who didn't see it; we pushed her army to the breaking point, and she withdrew them. She didn't know that we ourselves were about to break. She was definitely a human or a faunus before the Grimm got her."

"The question is: how many?" Yang sighed. "The whole species? Just a few hundred? How does it work?"

"I don't think we can answer those questions," Blake grunted as she finished with her Scroll. "The question we need to answer first is how would we go about killing such a dangerous creature?"

That brought silence to the room, save for the gentle combing of Ruby's hair. After a few moments of thought, Weiss decided, "We know she's not invincible. If Gambol Shroud was sharp enough to take off her ear, then our weapons and tactics aren't useless."

"But we caught her by surprise," Ruby reminded her. "She was totally unprepared for an attack at that moment."

"_**What?"**_ Blake demanded, turning her undivided attention onto Ruby.

"That's not possible," Weiss immediately dismissed, although Blake sensed that subtle jump in her aura. "She attacked me. Of course she would be prepared for a counter attack. She probably wasn't expecting you to rush back to the scene with your aura so depleted. She clearly underestimated your semblance."

Scrunching her lips, Ruby broke eye contact with her leader. "I dunno. She was so lax about it."

"How about this," Weiss immediately decided. "I'll come up with some scenarios. Different locations, different resources, let's see what would be the ideal way to fight her."

"Sounds good," Yang decided. It wasn't really, but she was tired from the day, sore from the digging and manual labor, and full from dinner. It was good enough for now.

"Yeah," Ruby agreed. "Besides, we could always just move in with you at the Schnee Estate and worry about Atlas Grimm and the occasional Yeti."

"I could not pay for the damages to the estate!" Weiss heartily laughed.

Leaning against Bumblebee's bunks, Blake kept her attention on Weiss.

"Then I guess we'll just have to find another estate to stay at!" Ruby challenged with a grin.

"You wanna go exploring the world?" Yang asked, genuinely interested. They hadn't talked about what they'd do when they grew up in years. In their youth, they were going to work for their uncle, she fondly recalled.

"Sure!" Ruby decided. "There's three other kingdoms to see. Three more capitals, all that exotic food."

"Oooh, fair point. Let's go!" Yang agreed, sharing a small laugh with her teammates.

"Would this be a team trip, or just for sisters?" Weiss asked as she and Ruby switched places at the dresser and mirror.

"Well, that would depend on what you and Blake want to do," Ruby said, not picking up on her girlfriend's tone. "And when are you going to get a haircut? Long hair takes so much time to wash and comb."

"Normally I'd disagree with you, but having spent the weekend on the frontier I'm inclined to concede you the point," Weiss lamented as she watched Ruby lovingly brush her hair. "Also, I need to get a few pairs of thermal leggings, like the ones you wear."

"Don't like the frigid winter wind on your bare skin?" Ruby chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll show you where I get 'em. So, what does Weiss Schnee, heiress, huntress, singer extraordinaire want to do when she graduates?"

Still as a statue, Blake continued to watch Weiss.

"Honestly, I think we all make a great team," Weiss began. "Tactical, efficient, cooperative, obedient. I couldn't ask for a better band of sisters."

"That's not quite how a family works," Yang worriedly said as she moved her legs up, giving Blake more room.

"I was speaking strictly in terms of a team," Weiss assured her. "You all are the best, and I don't care what we do, so long as we do it as a team, as a family."

"And if that family wants to part ways at the end?" Blake asked.

Sighing, Weiss countered, "Would it be so hard to keep working together?"

"Okay, before anyone sheds any tears," Yang interrupted, flipping herself onto her back. "We've all got two more years before we have to cross that bridge. Let's worry about that then, please?"

"I should have been more thoughtful," Ruby agreed. "Let's just drop it until we have to actually think about that. Besides, the Vytal Festival is almost here. Let's worry about what we'll do for the tournament!"

Blake begrudgingly decided that Ruby had just misread the creature's body language in the heat of battle on that fateful day. Weiss wasn't showing any signs that she'd been caught in a lie, so maybe there was no need to worry.

Returning to a more relaxed state, Blake realized that she was extremely sore, tired, and sleepy. "That's a brilliant plan, Ruby," she complimented as she got comfy in her bed sheets.

"Of course it is!" Yang laughed as she snuggled up for the night. "It's Ruby's plan. When has she ever had a bad idea?"

"How about when she ate in class?" Blake quipped with a yawn.

"Hey!" Ruby complained. "That was fine! The problem was when Weiss decided that you guys had to eat too!"

"And as a result: you stopped breaking the rules," Weiss summarized with a smirk. Reaching back, she caressed Ruby's left hand. Ruby, in turn, set the brush down and eagerly returned the gesture. "Now, I think it's time for bed."

* * *

"_I had always questioned the equality between faunus and human, finding my treatment to be unfair; but I never would have suspected that greater cruelty could be found elsewhere. Those legally found guilty of being enemies of Vale received no rights or protections. If they were deemed valuable, they were not killed; but the guards could do what they liked with no reprimand. When I began writing this history of events, my research revealed that this kind of mistreatment was the norm in the day of Valens the Fourteenth. _

"_I came across an entire library of torture logs. I was overwhelmed at first but was able to find the ones for Mercury Black, Emerald Sustair, and Cinder. Mercury quickly talked, Emerald confirmed his statement, and Cinder used her power to go into some kind of semi-conscious coma; she was completely immune to all forms of torture, and Valens herself could not bring the woman to wake. Cinder remained comatose until December 23 when she escaped. _

_These logs served another function besides archiving information: they could intimidate future enemies of the state, so as to provoke the disclosure of information without wasting time on beatings. Mercury Black was not given this option. Valens oversaw a full evening's worth of torture for information, and while he was resilient at first he did give in before she was about to kill him. The entire log is not for the faint of heart, but I have included the last segment, the tamest part, in Appendix B for the reader. For those unwilling to watch it, I'll provide a summary…"_

_-Blake Belladonna_

* * *

Mercury awoke with a start. Burning, yet numb. Freezing, yet totally alert. Heart racing, sweat trickling down his face, he shook his damp hair out of his eyes, only to see the woman in front of him again.

Grey, robotic legs, scraped and worn from years of trial. An armored skirt of faded white, equally worn as the legs. A simple, white undershirt housing a standard B cup, a robotic right arm attached at the shoulder, even more scraped and worn than the other limbs. Brown skin, lots of scars, and a set of piercing green eyes.

And then the pain came roaring back to him.

"Congratulations, boy," Valens began with boredom. "You win the bet. She wouldn't rouse from her slumber."

Having just been forced awake, Mercury found himself still a bit out of it. The smoking burns all over his body weren't helping either.

"Your leader. This Cinder lady," Valens clarified. "You said I wouldn't be able to wake her this afternoon? Then we tortured you some more, and you- well, I suppose you couldn't witness that part," she mumbled. "At any rate, you're proving to be no good to me alive."

"Stop," he pleaded. "I'll talk." When he first arrived, he figured he could stand the abusive guards; after all, Roman had held out for months without spilling the beans. But in the following days he had learned to respect the cocky thief for enduring the hourly beatings, dehydration, sleep-deprivation, and electroshock therapy.

And then the Queen came along, and she was in a league of her own when it came to venting frustration.

"Ah, thank you!" Valens said with delight. Setting down the stun baton on the table filled with various torture devices, she asked, "So, what can you tell me about Cinder?"

Groaning, Mercury rattled, "She's the leader of the White Fang; her favorite henchman is Roman Torchwick; she wants a bunch of dust for something big; and I'm one of her bodyguards because I make for a great distraction if I can weaken an opponent."

"Interesting!" Valens complimented. "Go on, please."

"My semblance allows me to force hallucinations onto others if they're in a weakened state of mind," he explained. "That's why I'm valuable to her."

"And what does Cinder want with the dust?" she requested.

Shaking his head, he reiterated, "I'm just a bodyguard."

Sighing, Valens prompted, "Can you give me troop strengths? Cell locations? Officers? Recruitment grounds? Anything helpful."

"I get to live?" he demanded.

"You get to live out fifty years on a farm with a shock collar," she offered. "After that, you're a freeman."

"Better than death," he huffed with a scowl. "I know of one recruitment area, an old warehouse that's already abandoned."

"Not helpful," she dismissed.

"The cell I'm in is a few hundred strong," he offered.

"Also not helpful," she said, shaking her head. "Boy, I have a conference in fifteen minutes; if you can't give me anything I'll try the Emerald girl next week."

"She was born in Vale!" he exclaimed, getting just a little bit desperate. "Once, in a conversation we had, she told us she'd never been overseas. I don't know when she was born or what her real name was, but that still means she was trained here! That's valuable information, right?! A- a- a huntress of Vale, gone rogue at some point, has a history with you guys."

Nodding, Valens agreed, "Potentially. What else?"

"Her second-in-command is a guy named Adam Taurus," he immediately answered. "Faunus guy, uses a long sword for slashing. He's pretty much a sociopath."

"What is he going to do now that Cinder's in my possession?" Valens asked.

"The go-to plan Cinder outlined in case of capture was to start killing everyone until you capitulated," he informed her.

"Well that isn't going to work," Valens scoffed. "If we've been handling you for the past five years, what makes him think now will be any different?"

"No, you're not getting it," he said, shaking his head. "Adam's goal will be to slaughter indiscriminately. He'll kill until he can get Cinder back."

Nodding along, Valens agreed, " I'd be very impressed if he could pull it off. Now, how large is the White Fang?"

Racking his mind for every shred of information, Mercury estimated, "Gotta be around fifty thousand strong. We're a large group, and she got elected when you passed those punishment laws in three-twenty-nine."

When she brought her cold, hard, robotic hand down on his skull, Mercury promptly remembered that 329 S.A. was the same year her mother had died. Huge media event; she'd been a very popular queen. Not that he was around to see it go live, but he had watched the vids. What a headache he was starting to feel.

Valens composed herself, quickly checking to make sure that she hadn't gotten any blood on her hand. "Is Cinder's primary weapon wielding dust?"

"Yeah," he groaned, vision blurring thanks to that konk he'd received. "Never saw her shoot up, but she had to be injecting it directly. She can summon armor, clothing, weapons, exploding projectiles, pretty much anything that doesn't have mechanical parts."

"She never gave her motivations for leading the White Fang?" Valens prompted.

Why couldn't he get his aura to heal the wound? He was in constant pain. "Never asked."

"What about other plans?" Valens asked. "If she hadn't been captured."

"I don't know," Mercury answered. "All she told us was that we'd have five minutes tops to rush in, find Roman, and break out. He'd get some recovery time, and then we'd go from there."

Nodding, Valens decided that he wouldn't leave just yet, but he wouldn't die just yet either. "Is she afraid of anything?"

"No." Shaking his head, he said, "Cinder is fearless."

"Has she ever been thrown into a fit of uncontrollable rage?" Perhaps the right trigger could provoke her into awakening. Right now, her being in an unwalkable slumber. "Perhaps she's been overcome with grief?"

Shaking his head again, he reiterated, "She has never been sad. Never laughed, never screamed, never even complained about anything."

"Really now." Craning her neck, Valens decided, "Good to know, boy. You'll stay here until I return. I'll make sure the guards don't give you any beatings."

"Can't I get a bed?" he bargained. "I'm telling you everything I know. Doesn't that warrant a mattress and a blanket?"

Taking her leave, Valens assured him, "I'll have the taskmaster work it out. If you think of anything important, just say it out loud; the mics will record it, and we'll discuss it next week."

Still clamped to his torture table, Mercury's attention centered again on the aching pains in all parts of his body.

* * *

"_...which was what happened. Besides the December 23 attack in Vale, the White Fang hit sixty-two other cities in the West practically on a daily basis. No one would hear of these smaller attacks, because the media was instructed to blacklist all White Fang-related incidents. They only covered the December 23 attack. I wasn't able to even find any hints of these other attacks until I began to dig into the previously classified secret data vaults. Almost eight thousand people were killed. This war of terror only came to an end when Cinder joined the Coalition." _

_-Blake Belladonna_

* * *

**October 27, 345 S.A.**

"Yang, move your arm!" Ruby complained as she squeezed in with her teammates, carefully situating the Team Standard so that it wouldn't damage anything.

"Yang, if you get any of that cheese on my outfit I will feed it to you from the other end," Weiss threatened as she got crammed into the corner and loaded up the desired settings.

"Yang, I think you're perfectly fine just the way you are," Blake balanced out with a grin as the team tank filled in with the rest of them.

"Aaaw yeah!" Yang hooted in the confined space as she passionately - yet carefully - waved her roasted something covered in a spicy sauce and dunked in cheese, just one of the hundreds of delicacies one could sample at the grandest gathering of peoples, cultures, arts, and sciences: the Vytal Festival. "And how appropriate!" she remarked as the four fighters got comfy with each other. "Say, 'cheese'!" she laughed as the flash went off.

One picture simply would not do. To commemorate their victories over the other teams, Team WRBY had to get a few more pictures. Various poses and faces were struck, laughs were had, and minutes were spent as they got that perfect picture with the right background.

And just a little bit of cheese was spilt.

Their first day had been a packed one. With just training sessions and scheduled matches to attend, Team WRBY made it a day to remember. With the buzz of them returning from the mysterious Northern Frontier wearing off, the girls weren't harassed in the morning with journalists, messages, and requests for interviews, and were able to make their way right out to the capital city.

Atlasian troop transports were being offered to the students, so Team WRBY got a great look at their kingdom's capital and the massive Amity Colloseum that hovered above it. Of course, as grand as their fighting arena was, the crown jewel of their kingdom was not outshined.

That title went to city of Vale itself, boasting a population of over four million, hosting human and faunus, offering all careers and trades. The capital city, now gorgeously decorated in festivities, was divided into three circles:

The innermost -sitting on top of the other two circles- was the city's Sanctuary, the heavily defended fortress that housed almost one million of the inhabitants. All of the greatest -and richest- minds, thinkers, and top secret government information, could be found inside its walls, housed in expensive homes or government data vaults. The walls themselves were so daunting that one could see it all from the Central Mountains. The innovation and technology of the three outside kingdoms combined with the strength of Vale to form the largest, walled fortress city on the continent of Vytal. Although the Sanctuary had five brigades as a garrison, they primarily repaired roads, policed the undesirables, and patrolled the lower two circles.

The Second Circle was also walled, although to a lesser extent. Housing well over two million people, it was home to those who couldn't quite afford the heavier expenses of the Sanctuary. Yet, it was a bustling metropolis that was carefully managed and controlled, ensuring safe passage for most people and for all commerce. One could enter with nothing in the morning and find work by noon, winning a decent income from a private business or signing up for the Royal Army or an army of any kingdom. Public hospitals, schools, kitchens, and baths were there -and even nicer ones in the Sanctuary- for anyone's use, assuming they possessed citizenship. If one tried to bypass that requirement, the five brigades would be there to enforce the rules.

The Third Circle was the last ring of the shining capital city. Lacking walls, it gave easy entry for all coming and going. Housing the rest of the permanent residents, as well as the travelers, it boasted suitable commerce and education. Not as nice as the top two circles, it was the least expensive. Anyone who had a product to push was set up for the first official day of the festival, and Team WRBY could easily see that the unity of the world was proudly displayed in all three rings of the capital city.

Normally reserved for government business, the extensive flight decks were used by civilians that day as thousands touched down on the very top of the Sanctuary and spilled down into the lower circles. First were the general festivities, the food, entertainment, and usual merriment. World famous actors, musicians, and artistic talents performed for live audiences and streamers. If one had an interest, the Vytal Festival was there to satisfy it.

For the corporations, a vast number of trade shows held in the Second and First Circles promised precious profits -after Valens got her cut of it- for those with the newest innovations in their markets. If there was a product it was there for the whole world to see.

While this was going on, the Amity Colosseum broke open its first round of tournaments, pitting the teams of the world's academies against one another and stating exotic battlefields. Lava, ice, jungle, all feasible biomes were generated to spice up the fight.

Of course, what fun is a fight if there isn't a little money wagered on the side?

* * *

"Weiss, pleeease!" Yang implored as they strolled the bustling streets of the Third Circle. "Am I not your friend, the one who avenged your broken arm?" she reminded the leader as they quickly glanced at the wares of a small dust vendor. "Am I not your most reliable tank who valiantly holds the line?"

"You are indeed those things to me," Weiss agreed as they observed a labor-bot, designed specifically for shot-loading, weapon-cleaning, and armor-polishing. Weiss considered making the eight thousand lien investment, but she decided that the bonding moments they shared over doing the work themselves was far more valuable.

"So can't you-" Yang attempted once more before Weiss finally finished it.

"I'm not loaning you a single credit, lien, or ounce of dust for your gambling," Weiss finalized. "If you want to bet on a match, you'll have to do so with your own money."

Demoralized, Yang accepted defeat from Weiss before promptly turning to Blake.

Holding up her hand, Blake promptly stated, "I'm not a bank."

"How much do you even need?" Ruby asked as she observed a humble weapon's stand that proudly advertised its wares from Vacuo. A lot of the weapons were marketed as sand-proof, which made sense for a kingdom that had a giant desert in the middle of its lands. Keeping the Team Standard -its cast iron snowflake towering over everyone- firmly planted on the ground, she thought, "It can't be that much, right?"

"I just need two thousand lien for the minimum entry bet!" Yang explained as their eyes went wide. "You guys remember Pyrrha, right?"

Raising an eyebrow, Weiss recalled, "We haven't spoken to her in weeks." Coming to a four way intersection closely monitored by Rifle Troopers, Team WRBY prepared to separate.

"Well, I've actually been keeping up with her," Yang revealed as she brought her teammates into a circle. "She's been cleaning house in the Colosseum, and it's a sure-fire win if we bet on her!"

Pursing her lips, Weiss nodded along. "I'm sure you'll be able to scrape the lien together before her next match and before the entry bets rise even further."

"What if I promise to carry all of your purchases for the entire festival?" Yang offered.

"Most stores offer delivery systems for acceptable fees," Weiss countered. Addressing the team as a whole, she said, "Now, our next match isn't until the twenty-ninth."

"Have you decided who should represent the team?" Ruby asked, eager to be one of the two lucky fighters to move on to the next round of fights.

"We'll go over it tonight," Weiss answered. "Now, today we can-"

"What if I give you a say in which motorcycle we buy? Today, while they're all on sale?" Yang tantalizingly tested, placing her hands on her hips and leaving forward.

Recalling the list of motorcycles Yang had sent her, the ones that would run her thirty thousand lien, Weiss hastily counter-offered, "I will buy you a nice dinner if we knock that out today."

It wasn't as exciting as money on a fight, but Yang figured that a free meal was better than nothing. "I accept your terms!"

Taking out her scroll, Weiss made the necessary transaction. Looking to Blake and Ruby, she informed them with a smile, "You have a pool of three hundred today. Enjoy yourselves."

Giving her girlfriend a quick hug as Yang pulled her from her grasp, Ruby thanked, "That's awesome, Weiss! Good luck with the motorcycle!"

Waving goodbye to her partner and sister, Yang quickly departed with Weiss for the automobiles being sold in the Second Circle.

"I bet Weiss will get her a hovercycle," Ruby theorized, folding up the Team Standard and strapping it to her back.

"Oh, that simply won't do," Blake denounced with a smirk. "Yang loves the friction of wheels on the ground; she'd never settle for a smooth, relaxing hovercycle."

"True enough, but I don't think Weiss will go down without a fight." Left alone with the mysterious Blake, Ruby decided, "I'm sure they'll have fun either way." Turning to her teammate with a hop in her step, she asked, "What do you want to do, Blake? We've got trade shows, tech shows, weapons shows, art shows, everything!"

Nodding in appreciation, Blake asked, "Would you be okay with a soothing cup of tea? There's a place in the Second Circle that has quite the reputation."

"Tea, huh?" Ruby wondered with a smile. "I haven't had it in forever. Show me the way to… _prosperi-tea_?" she laughed, black and red hair shaking with her head as she took great pride in the joke.

Sharing in the humor, Blake countered, "I don't know if you could appreciate it in its _entire-tea_."

Nudging her friend in the ribs, Ruby admitted, "That was good. Let's go!"

* * *

"I love you," Yang confessed with a sultry tone, slowly caressing and groping her new lover, the green and white Shredder X-9 motorcycle. Tires that could move through ice, sand, ash, and marshland? It was too good to be true. "You're not my Bumblebee, but I can move on; we can move on together."

"You're absurd," Weiss scoffed as she observed the flesh and steel intertwining in forbidden love.

"Shut up. You'd be lucky to peg a gal like me," Yang fired back as she continued to display affection for her new love interest. "I'll take it!" she decided.

Reading the tag, Weiss wasn't so sure. "It's not the most fuel efficient," she observed.

"Neither was the Bumblebee," Yang dismissed as she continued doing her thing.

"Do you even know how well it will handle?" Weiss wondered, observing the fourteen thousand lien price tag. A fair price, she reasoned. The only issue would be her father. He'd see the list: forty thousand on armor, five thousand on repairs for said armor, and now a motorcycle for sixteen thousand.

"It's a continuation of the Bumblebee line; when they stopped producing the originals," Yang explained as she dismounted. "The Shredder line came out to replace it."

"You must have the healthiest relationships," Weiss laughed as she dismissed the vehicle. "Not quite what I'd like for you. Let's look at some more first, please?"

Groaning, Yang went along with the terms of their agreement.

"I know I'm not as romantic as Weiss, but I can still show you a good time," Blake quipped as they toasted with their tea cups. Taking her time, she breathed in the aroma of chamomile. Smiling human ear to human ear, she wondered how she had been missing out on this.

Overlooking the illustrious garden setting, Ruby praised with a chuckle, "You're doing a fine job, Blake." Foliage from the four kingdoms were elaborately constructed to simulate a wilderness while maintaining its restaurant atmosphere. Flowers of all color, trees and plants, everything one needed for an exotic garden was here for their viewing pleasure. Even though this was the Sanctuary level of business, Ruby was quite impressed.

The only downside was the tea.

Having already finished her first cup, Blake said, "It's a drink of all cultures, you know."

Wanting to be a polite guest, Ruby finished the cup of _blech_. "I hereby reject tea culture," she decided, much to Blake's audible amusement.

Hoping to avoid disturbing the other diners, Blake got control of her laugh.

Shrugging her shoulders, Ruby explained, "I never was a fan; I just kinda forgot about that." With the humidity getting to her, she decided to remove her cape. "How 'bout you, Blake? What are you not _'one for'_?"

Raising an eyebrow, Blake asked, "Is Weiss on or off the table?"

Nodding, Ruby acknowledged, "I know you and Yang don't think she's perfect." Hesitating, she pushed, "But is she really so bad?"

Blake did pause at that, careful to choose her words. "Weiss has proven herself to be an extraordinary organizer, manager, administrator," she started.

"But not a leader?" Ruby deduced. Leaning back in her chair, cape folded in her lap, she made it quite clear that there were no eggshells Blake had to avoid.

"A leader inspires some feeling that they're doing the right thing and that by being there I'm helping to doing the same," Blake elaborated, recalling days gone by. "Weiss does not inspire that in me."

"She's more of a boss to you?" Ruby wondered. No malice, no judgement, just a person wanting to understand.

Blake appreciated that. Wearing a gentle smile, she answered, "She's more of a commander to me."

Eyes widening, Ruby legitimately felt surprised by such a response. "Wow, Blake. I didn't know you felt she was so brutal."

"She used us, Ruby," Blake elaborated. "Like a Company Master uses his company. She used us to guard her family's dust; and she used us to jump ahead into Valens' arms." Grimacing, she decided, "Weiss has earned my confidence. I know that she can use her surrounding resources to get any job done; but that does not make her a leader to me."

Nodding, Ruby acknowledged, "You've got points, Blake."

Refilling her cup, Blake noticed the tone in which she said that. "You disagree?" she pushed.

As Blake drank, Ruby answered, "I just see her at a different angle. Her actions have made Vale a greater kingdom, and I know that she's made me a better person." Noticing that signature eyebrow-raising, Ruby chuckled and elaborated, "Not all by herself, of course; it's just that I appreciate her actions."

"I don't dispute the results of her actions," Blake clarified, setting her empty cup down. As she began to refill it she prompted, "What about her intentions?"

"She's not like that," Ruby stated. "I think she's a good person, for what she's done and for who she is," she encouraged, offering her empty cup to Blake.

"More?" Blake asked, prompting Ruby to nod. She was happy to accommodate the younger girl. "I'm afraid that I don't agree with you on that, Ruby."

"That's a shame," Ruby sighed as she drew in Blake's attention. "Just please do me a favor: try to get along with her at least? You two work great together as teammates, but I know that you two can do better. Maybe not the best of friends, but you guys can share a mutual respect for each other."

A brief pause fell between the two girls, allowing the surrounding chatter and white noise to seep in. Ruby was coming from a completely different background than Blake, but now that they were together it offered Blake a chance to share in the hope that Ruby was trying to share with her.

Humming in thought, Blake conceded, "You're an optimist, Ruby." Offering a toast, Blake proposed, "If you can find the heart to date her, then perhaps I can find the heart to be a better friend."

* * *

Aura bubbling in contentment, Ruby let shine a beautiful smile that promised much. She was more than happy to toast to that.

The busiest crowds had dispersed for vehicle purchases; as such, not many people were left to browse the massive warehouses that had been rented out to the companies. Standing in one of those many rows, amongst the engineering of the four kingdoms, were Weiss and Yang.

"Why not?" Weiss asked, crossing her arms in frustration.

"It hovers," Yang explained yet again for the millionth time. Glaring down at her teammate, she wondered how this wasn't making any sense to Weiss.

"What's wrong with hovering?" Weiss demanded, slapping the black leather seating for good measure. Originally an Atlesian design, it was manufactured in Vale and given the Hunter's touch. "It's energy efficient, quiet, and can seat two people and their supplies." Glaring up at her teammate, she wondered how this wasn't making any sense to Yang. "It's also much more user friendly. I could get comfy with it by the end of the day. It would be much more efficient for you and the team."

"It hovers," Yang repeated.

"It's mechanically superior!" Weiss argued.

"It's mechanically suckier," Yang decided, crossing her arms and refusing eye contact, flamboyantly tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"I bet I could get more airtime on one of these than you could with _any _set of wheels!" Weiss challenged. If her team was going to use vehicles, they were going to be the best on the market.

"Hah!" Yang doubted. "Okay, Ice Queen, how about this: You take that hover-sucker, and I'll take the Shredder X-9 on a testrun. If you can get more airtime than me, I'll go home with that hover-sucker."

"And if you win?" Weiss sighed in resignation.

Smirking, Yang stated, "I not only go home with the X-9, but you also have to give me two thousand lien for Pyrrha's entry bet." Offering her hand, she challenged, "You want a piece of this action, Ice Queen?"

Looking to the price tag of the hovercycle, Weiss observed the modest price of sixteen thousand lien. Even with the X-9 being fourteen thousand, she'd have to call Father about it either way.

"I will destroy your hopes and dreams," Weiss condemned as she shook hands with the blonde. "And when you fall, I shall still be in the air!"

"You there, saleswoman!" Yang called out to the conveniently-placed woman. "My friend and I would like to test two of your vehicles on the obstacle course!"

* * *

**A/N: This is the first of three parts for "Aging Powers Struggle". There's a lot to cover, starting with an epic fight next time! **


	12. Act Two: Aging Powers Struggle, Part B

**The Act Two adventure continues.**

* * *

**October 28, 345 S.A.**

Engines revving, hover pads humming, and tires screeching echoed across the track as various riders tested out their potential purchases. The smell of spent dust and burnt rubber hung loose in the air as a flaming blonde popped a wheelie as she rode into the pit stop.

Weiss gave a slow round of applause as the confident Yang Xiao Long dismounted and sauntered to the observation stands. "Very impressive!" Weiss acknowledged with a smirk.

"Oh, you think that was impressive?" Yang laughed, voice muffled by her helmet. Giving an overly dramatic bow, she promoted, "I can do better with a bigger ramp." Walking towards Weiss, she removed her helmet and fluffed her golden lockes in the chilly breeze. "You weren't half bad for a new rider, Weiss; but I think I've earned this one!"

Scroll in hand, Weiss nodded. "I already transferred the money to your account and notified my father of the expenses." Eyeing the skilled cyclist, she warned, "I will not be abandoning this, Yang; someday I shall outride you."

"Hah, I know! You're a quick learner, Weiss." Flopping down in the chair neighboring Weiss' left, Yang stared happily at her green and white Shredder X9. "Thanks, by the way. I know that wheels are starting to go out of style, but the experience to me is just irreplaceable," she rambled, grabbing her water canteen.

"It's not just style, Yang," Weiss sighed as she watched the other cyclists ride around and test the vehicles. "Hover technology is superior, and I want the best teammates armed with the best gear." Seeing Yang hydrate reminded her that she needed to drink. "May I? I forgot mine," she grumbled.

"Sure." Yang handed her the canteen and idly fumbled with her helmet. "And I get that. But the feel of friction, that vibration, the tension and compression, I just love that sensation. Don't you like some things that aren't exactly the best available?" she asked, looking to her leader.

Helping herself to Yang's water, Weiss pondered the question. "No. I like my people and things at their very best," she decided.

"You can't expect to find that everywhere," Yang reminded her.

Shaking her head, Weiss disagreed, "I can find that in an army."

Yang realized that wanting the best out of everyone was innocent enough, but it could provoke twisted actions. "Is that why you want to follow my uncle so badly?" Yang asked, propping her feet up on the row beneath them.

Breathing a single, gentle laugh, Weiss shook her head. "That's not the main reason. I can do great things for many people if I hold command," she idealized with a grin. "I learned quickly that power and money can give a person greater flexibility in this world. More reach, more influence. I want that," she decided before taking another gulp as the gentle wind brushed through her hair.

Turning her head to the track, Yang asked, "Did you feel powerless as a kid?"

"We're _still _kids," Weiss curtly stated as the wind stilled, handing the canteen back to her teammate. "But yes, I didn't have any say in my childhood. Father would yell and scream, throw things, and beat us once in awhile."

Yang sat numb, lips pursed and posture frozen.

Crossing her arms, Weiss cocked her head, recalling days gone by. "Sometimes we provoked him," she admitted. "Sometimes he just had a bad day. Sometimes he would randomly snap." Seeing her partner in such an awkward state, she quickly assured, "Relax. I'm alive. And it's behind me now."

Eyeing her leader's iconic scar crossing the left eye, Yang began, "Is that how you got-"

"_No."_

Yang turned her head back to the track. Both were content to let silence fall between them as they continued to watch the other riders. After a few swigs, she asked, "Who was 'us' during that childhood?"

"My sister and I shared a home for a few years," Weiss answered just as Yang was about to ask. "I don't think I ever mentioned Winter to you guys. She's eight years older than me."

"Ah." Yang wondered, "What does she do?"

"She's in the Atlesian Special Ops," Weiss elaborated, taking the bottle back from Yang. "She's not a pilot or a shipmaster, believe it or not; she's actually in the Special Operations Division. It's where the most gifted hunters and huntresses go in Atlas," she continued as she drank.

Frowning, Yang asked, "Isn't the Atlesian land army a bit… in decline?" She'd never kept up with the word on the street, but now and then she'd hear things about the financial troubles of the northerly ice kingdom. Powerful, but lacking the resources that the other kingdoms had, which made it difficult to maintain a strong army. That was the main reason the kingdom focused on a durable, robotic force of androids, mechs, and airships.

Nodding, Weiss gently licked her lips and explained, "She and I don't talk much; the last time we did, it was her wanting to know more about our actions in Forever Fall." Yang motioned for the bottle, and Weiss gave it back. "But yes, she would tell me about how funding got cut or was refused in various departments. Equipment fails, rations go bad, it's not a pleasant lifestyle."

"Why'd she go? Why not come here?" Yang continued with a quick drink.

Looking to Yang, Weiss explained with a shrug, "She trained as a huntress in Atlas, because she refused to be the heiress of our father's company. There was a fight, and she got disowned." Sighing, Weiss gazed off into the distance, recalling the specifics. She preferred to keep them to herself. "Winter had nowhere to go, so she signed up. She did great, and now she's serving her mandatory service."

"Ouch," Yang acknowledged, awkwardly shifting in her seat. Nothing like forcing a fresh graduate into the do-or-die of the army life. "Well, Atlas only makes you do ten years; your sister's almost done with it anyways, right?" she asked with hope as she gave her canteen to Weiss.

Nodding, she idly smoothed out her combat skirt, admiring the Schnee design. Sighing, she fondly answered, "She'll be formally discharged in the spring of three-forty-eight. She's always telling me that she can't wait to get out." Chuckling, Weiss helped herself to Yang's water and fondly recalled, "After her first week in the SOD she began her tradition of ending all her messages with, 'Everything sucks. Don't stay here.' and would not stop."

Nodding, Yang deduced, "And you came here because you still have your dad's money to hone your skill abroad."

Grimm constantly threatened them in the south while the toughest, largest, and most demonic ones flooded in from Dragonia and roared against the north. It was a decision of pride for her kingdom, to not force conscription on its people.

Smiling, Weiss happily explained, "I originally wanted to hone my skills in a school that wouldn't force me into service; but now that I know my strength, and what I can do if I keep this up, I definitely plan on making Wing Master."

"You sure that's what you want?" Yang warned, "We've been lucky. Broken arms, scarred faces, burned midriffs, and a lot of bruises. If you go into the Auxiliaries as a hunter, you'll lose at least one limb before retirement."

It wasn't a total guarantee that they would, but Yang knew for certain that the odds were extremely high; a person would usually lose a leg, an arm, or just a hand if they were lucky. She recalled moments in her life when she watched well-aged adults claim to be hunters when they had no robotic limbs as proof. At a glance, they were deemed liars and -at best- laughed at.

"I know the stats," Weiss informed her teammate. "I'm prepared to sacrifice a part of myself for the greater good. Vale needs strong leaders, Yang. I think I can make that cut."

"Eeeh," Yang wavered. "You're great, but you're just one woman, Weiss. Do you think you'd make that big of a difference?"

"One person can write the course of history." Conveniently, Weiss knew of the perfect example. "Your uncle saved you and Ruby, right?"

Yang didn't remember telling Weiss about her disastrous quest to find her mother. She was confident that she would never tell her either. Raising an eyebrow, she neutrally asked, "What?"

"In three-thirty-seven," Weiss clarified. "I read the story. A Leviathan attacked Patch. Your uncle was the Wing Master of your coastal city and led the evacuation and defense."

"Oh," Yang remembered, shifting in her seat again. "How much digging did you do to find that?" she wondered. Even though she was only nine at the time, not even Cinder had been that bad in comparison to the raw power of the Leviathan.

Laughing, Weiss said, "Not much, Yang. It was a huge deal; your uncle saved the island and became a Brigade Master because of it!"

Grimacing, Yang looked away. "It was a costly victory," she grumbled.

"You can't avoid casualties when fighting a fully grown Leviathan," Weiss dismissed. "Your uncle managed it quite well, and he didn't even lose any limbs." That still didn't answer her question of how he had lost his left arm. She'd have to keep digging.

"Ruby's mom died," Yang revealed. "It's a _very _long list of casualties, but Summer Rose is on it."

It had been a while since Weiss had stepped on such a volatile, social landmine. "She would be proud to see you now," Weiss could only offer.

Yang wasn't so sure. "What do you think of Ruby?" she asked, both out of invested interest and a desire to change the subject.

Nodding along, Weiss was more than happy to oblige her. "Ruby will be a great huntress with time." Pausing, she spent a few moments in thought before elaborating, "I admire her tenacity and skill. She's a great teammate, partner, and friend. But dating her has been one of the funnest things I've ever played with."

"How's the dating thing going?" she prompted as her bubbly composure returned. "I know we've been busy, but do you two have anything fun planned? If you want the dorm to yourselves, Blake and I can-"

"No! None of that!" Weiss dismissed, scrunching her lips and shaking her head. "Our relationship is completely normal, typical, and exactly what you would expect from two teenagers dating, Yang."

Somewhat underwhelmed, Yang politely nodded. "Okay, great."

Smirking, Weiss offered, "I don't think you'll be needing a bridesmaid dress for the immediate future, if that's what you're thinking of." Somewhat worried, she asked, "Ruby's not… she doesn't think we'll be that intimate, right?"

Enjoying a swig of water, Yang wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Probably not. She seems to be taking it pretty casually too."

Sighing in relief, Weiss finished, "Good to know. If that changes, we'll be sure to inform you."

Scoffing, Yang shook her head. "You're going to be the source of all my problems, aren't you," she taunted with a smirk.

Weiss couldn't deny that and let silence fall between the two for a while. They quenched their thirst and watched the track, listening to the engines rev and rubber burn, content to smell the spent dust lingering in the air.

"I do like that hovercycle," she started again. She knew Yang wasn't the best teacher, but she was the only experienced rider Weiss knew personally.

"Buying two in one day? Wow, you Schnees really have it good," Yang laughed as she continued to hydrate.

Weiss corrected, "I don't plan on buying it now, because I have no idea how to take care of it. You, however, know how to care for a motorcycle."

"Sure," Yang agreed with a single laugh. Emptying her canteen, she looked to her leader and decided, "I'd love to teach you, but maybe you can do something for me too."

"I just bought you a motorcycle!" Weiss reminded her. "What else could you possibly want today?"

Yang removed a particularly offensive piece of jewelry that she had painted completely black, a circle with a vertical bar cutting down it and a sideways 'M' stuck to the side. "You know what this is?"

Weiss jolted in her seat, looking around to make sure that no one else could see it. "Yang, put that down!" she whisperingly shrieked, firmly placing her hands over Yang's so as to conceal the pennant. "Do you want people to beat you up? Because that's a perfect way to get a crowd after you!"

"I know what it is," Yang firmly revealed as she forcibly removed her hand from Weiss' grasp. "I took it off that poor mech pilot who got her stomach eviscerated by that Mercury scumbag. I also took the liberty of painting it black."

Staring at her teammate for a few moments, Weiss tried to figure out what this woman's intentions were before giving up, slouching back into her chair, and sighing, "And why is that, Yang?"

"Because you need to start showing more respect for Blake's background," Yang insisted. "I'm leading by example."

"She-" Weiss stammered eyes widening, "Wait, no, she can't- but there aren't any ears! You can't-"

"She's not a faunus," Yang lied, very convincingly. "But she grew up on the streets, Weiss. No family, nothing but the clothes on her back. The only people who would help her were faunus," Yang emphasized, omitting a lot of the truth to suit her goals.

"She has sense enough to know that I'm not directing my anger at those particular faunus," Weiss defended.

"Maybe," Yang admitted. "But do you know what a rat tastes like?"

Scrunching her features, Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"While it's still alive?" Yang persisted, "You've just caught it in your hand and bitten into it; do you know what that tastes like?"

Weiss remained silent, turning her head back to the track.

Yang saw the frown and finished, "Blake can tell you." Yang kept her eyes locked on Weiss, who slowly nodded. "She can also tell you how it feels for a group of people to take you in, give you _real _food, a warm bed, actual love. Every time you put them down as a species, you're telling her that the people who helped her survive are just as bad as the people trying to kill us."

The revs and roars of motor and hovercycle were loud.

"I'll stop," Weiss eventually conceded, lacking the tenacity to make eye contact.

"You can do more than that," Yang pushed, her gaze unrelenting. "You're her boss, her leader, her commander; but I know you can be her friend."

"It's not like I never tried." Weiss' breath hitched in her throat as she continued to stare down at the ground. "I… I never know what to say. We've either planned for the team, discussed assignments, or argued over the White Fang." Scrunching her lips, she began to fidget with her hands. "We just never… became _friends_."

Yang was very much aware of that. Firmly patting the heiress across the back, she assured Weiss, "You can do it. You guys talk about my boobs, you can talk about anything!" Seeing Weiss chuckle was a reassuring moment for her. "Do me a favor. Just sit down with her and have a heart-to-heart about it. She's pretty tolerant."

"We tried that," Weiss lamented, recalling their intense argument.

"Try again," Yang persisted. "Call it my sisterly intuition, but a girl like Blake knows that she can never have enough friends; and I know a girl like _you _can always have fewer enemies."

After all, Blake had stayed this long, and she even trusted Yang with her deepest, darkest secrets. Yang had capitalized on this and hatched a plan with Ruby to get these two to bury the hatchet once and for all. Though they might argue, Weiss and Blake were both pragmatic and flexible in their environment.

"You can be very wise," Weiss admitted, smiling as she stood up.

Standing with her leader, Yang smirked and confessed, "I just get people. Always been extroverted like that. Now, are we gonna take care of the paperwork?" Clasping her hands together, Yang was eager to own her new motorcycle.

"Indeed," Weiss answered. "I'll keep busy while you have fun with your new Shredder. See if you can keep Ruby out a bit late? I'll have a second go at Blake."

"How romantic," Yang teased, earning a soft-hearted punch from Weiss. "Don't worry, Ruby and I will keep away. Just text us when you guys aren't killing each other."

* * *

Leaning out their dorm window, Blake informed the sisters, "There will be a lot of traffic, so watch out!" Ruby hopped onto the exotic, new motorcycle of green and white, Blake waved goodbye to the sisters. "Try not to destroy any more businesses!" she called out as Yang strapped on her helmet.

"It was _one _nightclub!" Yang shouted back before revving up her new baby and epically -yet safely- riding away, Ruby's cape whipping in the back.

"I never knew you had a sense of humor," Weiss admitted as she emerged from their bathroom. She strode with confidence, but her heart started pounding against her chest.

Blake sensed the jump in the woman's aura. Come to think of it, Yang's aura had been suspiciously excited too. Perhaps this conversation was more 'engineered' than it was 'natural' for them. Shutting the window, Blake remarked, "A well-rounded person experiences all emotions, Weiss. But we have been rather busy fighting terrorist cells."

"We're long overdue for a relaxing evening to ourselves," Weiss sighed as Blake turned to face her.

"What did you have in mind?" Blake offered.

"I was hoping we could start an actual friendship," Weiss explained, not realizing that she had started fidgeting with her hands.

How convenient that Ruby would ask Blake to do the same thing on the same day. She knew that it would be for the best if they did, but Blake disagreed with Weiss on too many issues for her own taste. Staring at Weiss, Blake considered politely escaping the room, but her gaze fell upon the portrait behind the heiress, the one of her which Yang had attempted to paint. Black and splotchy, the colors bled together, the anatomy was mutant, and it looked nothing like Blake Belladonna.

But no one had ever considered her worthy for a portrait either, so Blake adored it greatly.

And if Yang felt this friendship had to be formed, then Blake would form it. She owed her a try, a single attempt at the very least.

"I would love that," Blake said, not telling the truth but also not lying either. Crossing her arms, she focused her undivided attention on Weiss. The surrounding auras blurred out of her senses, and she concentrated on that large, calm blob of wavy energy. Like a gentle heartbeat, Weiss' aura resonated with tranquility.

Weiss was thankful. Sitting down, she began, "I know we disagreed on a lot of big topics, Blake, but never doubt me when I say that I have this team's wellbeing at heart."

Blake knew this, but figured that it was not a selfless motive. She kept it to herself. "I know, Weiss. And you know that, as your second-in-command, I would never betray your trust."

Nodding, Weiss sat down on her bed. "We're only seventeen. We should be able to get along like any other teenager."

Sitting down on Weiss' right, Blake lowered her guard and stopped focusing on her leader's aura. It began to blur like the others. "It'll take more than one night to resolve the issues we've discussed in our arguments."

"We can agree to disagree," Weiss offered with a smile.

"If we were mere civilians, perhaps," Blake half-agreed. "But we're in a position of power, Weiss. Our opinion -your opinion- will have actual consequences, as they'll influence your intentions and actions."

"But it's different now," Weiss argued, smile faltering. "We've agreed on acting as a unit, and we'll be more cautious. I won't risk your lives unnecessarily anymore, I promise."

"This is not the first time you've made that promise," Blake firmly reminded her. She sensed the girl's temper flaring, but Blake was surprised when Weiss reigned it in.

"Blake," she slowly began. "What can I say to convince you?"

"There is nothing you can say," Blake firmly answered, causing Weiss to lose spirit in the endeavor. "But I'm willing to work with you on this," she offered.

Weiss looked to Blake with hope, silent and waiting.

"It's a long road to walk," Blake admitted. "If you want my friendship, then start by not risking my life as if I were a pawn."

"I'll do it." Weiss held her breath. As Blake smiled, she shared in that. There was hope yet, and while she couldn't earn the trust of her second-in-command overnight, Weiss felt confident that she had taken that first step down that long road of which Blake spoke.

Shifting on the mattress, Blake asked, "So is this the part where we paint our nails and talk about the hot new huntress in town?"

Weiss had a good laugh at that. "We're far too pragmatic to delve into such trivial activities!" she decided with a smile. She shook her head. "No, Blake. I have a different agenda, and it'll suit us both. We shall bond on the battlefield."

"There's an idea I can appreciate," Blake agreed. She and her leader would spend the rest of their time alone discussing the scheduled fight. It would be a battle of minds just as much as it would be a battle of strength, and Weiss Schnee planned on achieving an absolute victory.

* * *

**October 29, 345 S.A. **

The Amity Colosseum was the pinnacle of Remnant's new era. Formed in friendship and transported around the world, it represented the peace of all civilizations. Capable of housing almost three-hundred thousand spectators as well as the army of technicians needed to ensure its operation, the floating fortress was the fighter's dream arena.

If one were lucky enough to fight in it, they would fight on the octagon floor of marble white, with various biomes to test them. Spectators would watch the fight in complete silence. There would be no cheering, clapping, hooting, or hollering during the fight; for this was not just a battle of strength: it was a battle of the mind. And this battle of the mind commanded total silence. After the winner was declared, celebrations would commence accordingly.

It took a while for the two hundred, fifty thousand people to file in, so it took Ruby and Yang some time to finally reach their assigned seats in the uppermost levels. As they got comfy they prepared to watch Weiss and Blake enter the arena. Since the sisters were the teammates of the fighters, they got free seating.

"Best seats in the house!" Ruby squealed as her sister sat down next to her. "And we don't even have to pay for them!"

"I know, right? Sucks to be a civilian!" Yang laughed, perfectly content to not think about the lien. "And what better time to be a hunter? Young, full of life, got all our limbs! Times are good, sis!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together and leaning back in bliss.

"Too bad we're not going to be down there, sis," Ruby wistfully wished, words being drowned out by the commotion of the massive audience getting settled in. "Still, this is going to be an interesting day," she decided, provoking a nod out of Yang. "Nothing's better than a good battle!"

"Not unless you have money on it," a young man announced from their left.

"Ren!" the sisters welcomed as he approached. They would have recognized that pink strand of hair a mile away, if they'd actually been looking in his direction.

Fist-bumping each of them, Ren sat down on Yang's left. "You guys ready?" he asked with a gentle smile.

"You know it!" they answered together, causing them to laugh with each other.

"We're just in sync today, apparently!" Yang happily decided. "But yeah, I placed my bet," she said, answering his earlier, unsaid question.

"I hope it pays dividends," Ren offered with a polite smile. "Pyrrha said that you were very excited about it."

"Oh, I hope it does!" Yang laughed as she nodded, energized by the hope of great fortune. "I made a two thousand lien bet! And that was the absolute minimum! I definitely expect dividends!"

"Is my niece already a gambling addict?" a much older man joked, causing all three youths to look to their right. Ren recognized the red jacket and white pants to be a standard officer's uniform, and the dark blue cloak signified that this man was a high-ranking officer at that. Looking to the man's face he saw seven inches of greying hair that streaked back and a discolored scar running from his chin to a metallic left ear. That would explain how he heard him over the commotion of the audience.

"Uncle Qrow!" the sisters welcomed with great joy, jumping out of their seats and almost assaulting the man.

Handling them well, he laughed, "If you have enough money to gamble you certainly do not need any from me!" Getting a good hug out of both of them, he took great care to keep his left arm under his cloak.

"Uncle Qrow, this is Lie Ren! Ren, this is our uncle, Field Marshal Qrow!" Yang introduced as she and Ruby tried to get out of the way for the men to shake hands. Ren was a bit stiff in his actions, not expecting to meet a field marshal. Surely this was punishment for not following the news.

"My Lord!" Ren formally acknowledged, bowing his head as he shook hands with the man. "How do you do?"

"Fine, and yourself?" Qrow asked dispassionately, sitting down on Ruby's right and turning his attention to the arena. "Tell me, girls. What is the plan of attack today?" he asked, giving Ren no opportunity to answer his rhetorical question.

"They're fighting a girl who uses a grenade launcher hammer, and a girl who uses a hoplite technique," Ruby gladly explained over the roar of the crowd. "So they're going to focus first on the grenade girl and keep the hoplite out of the fighting as much as possible."

"And once they take out Nora," Yang took over. "They'll attack Pyrrha at a distance, since she can only do ranged combat with a carbine. Weiss will use a barrier, and Blake will use her shadow technique; Pyrrha will run out of ammo, and that'll leave her vulnerable."

Grunting, Qrow settled in and approved, "That sounds good to me."

"That will be a tough strategy to counter," Ren chimed in with a frown. "Pyrrha was expecting two branching one on one fights."

"Oooh," Ruby gasped. "That won't go well for her, then."

"How is Pyrrha?" Yang asked, looking to Ren with concern. "Our texting has become more sparse lately. I know being promoted to leader was a tough situation for the three of you."

"Yeah." Nodding, Ren informed her, "Pyrrha handled it well, though. I don't know what she's been saying over text, but as far as I can tell she's doing okay." Shrugging his shoulders, he optimistically hoped, "We've been doing well for now, but we look forward to our replacement teammate. We'll be getting one after the festival."

"What about Jaune?" Yang dared to ask. "She still hung up on him?"

Grimacing, Ren shook his head. "Jaune is gone. For good. Pyrrha has moved on."

Left with nothing to say, Yang merely nodded.

Being a man of fifty-five, Qrow Branwen was long past being interested in teen romances. "Ruby!" he alerted. "Did your team resolve the Segmentation Armor issue?"

Nodding, Ruby answered, "Weiss is going to wear hers, and Blake will go without! Blake relies more on agility, anyways. Weiss will be able to use the extra weight to make stronger linear strikes."

Smiling, Qrow asked, "Did you and your team do the rehearsals like I asked?"

"Oh yes! We took it very seriously," Ruby said. "We'll make it go smoothly, I promise."

Leaning back Qrow relaxed. "Very good."

"Don't you want to sit with the queen?" Ruby asked. "I mean, I'm totally glad that you're with us! I mean, you're just so busy now, and we're so busy now and she's your boss and-"

Revealing his left, robotic arm, Qrow brought Ruby in for a half-hug across the chairs. "I'm sorry I couldn't attend the first round, my dear niece. Don't worry about my boss. She's down there with some other BMs and staff."

"Queen Valens is here?" Ren gawked. Even if he had been keeping up with the news he still wouldn't have been told where and when the queen would be.

"Busy woman's in for a good fight," Yang theorized with a smirk.

Grunting, Qrow nodded. "Down there, in the middle, somewhere-ish," he offered with a wave of his favored arm.

Full of energy, Yang could barely contain herself. "Oh! Oh! It looks like we're starting!"

"Really?" Ruby questioned, looking around the arena. "There are so many empty seats! Where are the missing people?"

"Shh," Qrow shushed as the entire colosseum fell silent. From the west, Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna emerged. From the east, Pyrrha Nikos and Nora Valkyrie.

Weiss somberly led her partner to the center, long and white hair streaming behind her. Clad in Segmentation Armor from her neck to her hips, the gunmetal grey clung to her figure, bending and flexing with her movement. In her left hand was the iconic Myrtenaster.

Behind her was her second-in-command, Blake Belladonna, who went in without armor and carried Gambol Shroud by the sheath in her left hand. Shorter, black hair flowed behind her with a very fashionable bow resting on top of her head.

Pyrrha Nikos led her partner to the center, clad in bronze-esque chest and leg pieces. In her right, she carried a spear; but Qrow could tell that it was of Mistral design. Ruby had mentioned a carbine, so it had to transform. A great, circular shield was clipped to the girl's left arm. Pyrrha's trailing red hair flowed behind her with a gentle sway as she walked.

Nora Valkyrie followed behind her. Lacking armor, she made up for it with a powerful warhammer toted on her right shoulder. Her short, orange hair bounced with her bubbly steps. Far more extroverted and loose, she wildly waved to Ren.

Huffing with a grin, Ren waved back.

The four huntresses stepped up in silence, steps echoing throughout the daunting chamber. Meeting in the center, they exchanged words before moving to their designated sides.

"Blake," Pyrrha spoke first. "I was not aware that you had been scarred so badly in your fight against the Fang. Will they fade?" she asked, concerned at the unexpected discoloration on her peer's face.

Smiling, Blake assured her, "Aura can't fix everything, Pyrrha. They will fade with time."

"I hope so." Sighing, Pyrrha looked to the most famous student in Beacon. "Weiss. It certainly has been a while since we spoke," she offered with a smile. Both teams had been very busy with their struggles, but she was glad that Yang had stayed in active communication with her, and she told her many exciting tales of their leader's investments.

Refusing to smile, Weiss politely but coldly acknowledged, "Yes. We have been very busy."

"It must be nice to fight without your life on the line," Pyrrha humorously observed.

"We fight our hardest under any circumstance." Shrugging, Weiss jabbed, "Can you say the same?"

"Well, I can see you're not interested in talking," Nora decided, keeping her right hand on her hammer and her left on her hip. She had dealt with sour attitudes before; Weiss was no different. "Ready to get smashed?" she challenged.

"Good luck," Weiss ended, respectfully bowing to her opponents.

"Fight well!" Pyrrha called out, hiding her shock. She could see that she had offended the woman, but she didn't understand when or how she could have done so.

Patting her friend on the back, Nora assured her, "Don't worry about the ice queen. She's just trying to rile us up." Taking her place on Pyrrha's right, she leveled her hammer, ready to attack.

Blake had wanted to speak a bit longer, but had to bow and move to her side of the arena. Once the leader bowed, talking stopped for the fight to begin. Taking up position on the left half of the ring, she whisperingly asked, "Was that necessary?"

"I wanted to say a lot more," Weiss revealed as she assumed her battle stance, drawing Myrtenaster orthogonal to her form. "But I didn't want to cause a scene, so I kept my comments to myself."

"How noble of you." Sighing, Blake drew her slashing sword with her right hand and took up position directly behind Weiss, as planned.

This gave Pyrrha pause for concern, as she was expecting them to stand shoulder to shoulder, like she and Nora were doing. Keeping her shield level, she prepared to receive Weiss' charge.

In the middle of the audience, Queen Valens stood up and spoke into her right, robotic arm's built in scroll. "**Huntresses of Remnant!**" she began, voice booming throughout the colosseum. "**Prepare yourselves!"**

The floor and atmosphere around the girls began to transform for that spicy variable of randomness. All four girls suddenly felt a scalding sun beating down upon them as dunes of sand materialized around them.

Taking a moment to appreciate the blistering heat and relentless sun that glared, they all realized that this would have to be a fast fight, lest they drop dead from heatstroke.

Yang chuckled, "Bet she wishes she'd chosen me now."

Accessing the scroll built into his robotic arm, Qrow texted, "_Seriously?"_

Valens loved a good fight, but she was a busy woman. Surely the world wouldn't begrudge her the priorities of rulership. Smirking, she texted back, "_Gotta stay on schedule."_

Blake regretted her bow. Ignoring the cooking flesh on her head, she murmured, "Stick to the plan?"

Nodding, Weiss murmured back, "Stick to it, and stick it to them."

Valens got back on track. "Your match starts… _**NOW!**_"

Weiss made the first move, switching her stance and driving Myrtenaster into the ground. Discharging red dust, she successfully divided Nora and Pyrrha with a wall of flames.

The JNPR girls successfully evaded the raging fire by dive rolling into their respective halves of the ring.

Nora got to her feet just in time to see Blake being launched high into the sky from Weiss' black glyph.

Pyrrha got to her feet in time to see Blake disappear behind the mighty flame wall that had divided the arena. She leveled her shield in anticipation of Weiss, but the heiress chose to attack Nora as well. Frustrated, she gritted her teeth and prepared to jump through the flames.

Simultaneously, Nora prepared to knock Blake out of the field but realized she couldn't dodge Weiss' incoming charge either. As Blake was still in the air, and Weiss was only half a second away, Nora brought her hammer down in front of her, squeezing the trigger and detonating so as to launch herself away from their incoming strikes. Backflipping to a safe distance she switched Magnild into its grenade-launcher mode.

Weiss skidded to a halt, kicking up sand and preparing to redraw her line of attack; Blake gracefully landed to Weiss' left, kicking up more sand.

Nora, still in the air, lined up her shot and took it. Weiss countered by aiming Myrtenaster and shooting a small blast of ice, encasing the grenade mid flight.

As both the grenade and Nora landed, Pyrrha Nikos rocketed through the flames, hair and cloth unscathed thanks to her powerful aura.

Weiss turned just in time to summon a glyph to meet her. Pyrrha bashed her shield against the barrier, losing her momentum to the immovable glyph.

As Pyrrha landed on the ground, Weiss chambered her red dust and dropped the snowflake barrier.

Pyrrha lowered her head behind her shield and charged forward just as Weiss unleashed a widespread blast of fire. Expending some of her aura, Pyrrha continued her charge unscathed by the flames and met Myrtenaster with the rim of her shield.

Weiss' eyes widened as Pyrrha pushed Myrtenaster into the sky with her shield and lunged her spear at Weiss' torso.

Weiss lept back, barely avoiding the speartip. She noticed the hoplite's scowl, but continued with the plan. She decided that fire wasn't going to work to her advantage.

Simultaneously, as Pyrrha rocketed through the flames to engage Team Monochrome, Nora launched a second grenade.

Sticking to the plan, and ignoring the loud bashing of shields against glyphs, Blake took careful aim with Gambol Shroud and fired a single shot. She flinched and covered her eyes as the shockwave sent sand flying against her.

Blake used her superior mobility to flank around in a clockwise rotation, emerging from the impromptu sandstorm and catching Nora by surprise. As Blake rushed in for the kill, Nora switched back to her warhammer and timed her swing, only to smash through a shadow.

Blake gracefully flipped over the distracted Nora.

Meanwhile, Weiss continued with the plan. Pyrrha's aggressive lunge had left her shield arm up towards the ceiling. As the hoplite brought it back down for another charge, Weiss chambered cyan dust and drew another line from one end of the arena straight to the other, this time with ice, cutting through the firewall, although not extinguishing it.

It was a thin wall of ice that climbed up to the ceiling, so it wouldn't take long for Pyrrha to get through, especially with her firing carbine rounds into weakening points along the wall. It was going to take at least a minute to break through, but -with a little luck- that would be all Team Monochrome would need.

Looking to the fight at hand, Weiss saw through the dissipating sandstorm that Blake had just evaded a swing midair with her shadow technique. Drawing Myrtenaster orthogonal to her form, Weiss rocketed in.

Blake landed closely behind Nora and turned around for a clear swing, but Nora used the momentum from her own swing to smash Magnhild into the sand, raise her body off the ground and evading the strikes.

Blake's swings made sparks against Magnhild's handle. Before she could strike again, Nora thrust both her legs out, delivering a powerful double-boot-combo to Blake's face.

Weiss came in for the killing blow as Blake was knocked away. Nora tried to get her boots back on the ground, but Weiss caught her halfway down, knocking her away from her weapon and spearing her like a fish.

The two came to a halt several meters away from Magnhild as Nora landed with her back in the sand, kicking up a storm in the process. Myrtenaster had speared her right below the rib cage, but only by a few centimeters. Weiss hadn't anticipated such a strong aura from Nora to stop her attack so quickly.

"Weiss!" Blake coughed out as she scrambled around in the sand for her weapons. "Her semblance! Don't-!"

Nora was partially buried in sand, staring up into the shadow of Weiss as the blistering sun continued to beat down on her. Weiss pressed her entire weight against Nora, trying to pierce the girl's feisty aura and end the fight then and there. Gasping for air, Nora grabbed onto Myrtenaster and grinned.

Weiss wondered why, and then why everything was painfully numb.

"Get shocked," Blake grumbled as she moved in to help her teammate.

Nora gave everything, causing Weiss' hair to curl and burn as electricity coursed through her body. Pulling Myrtenaster out of her body, Nora finally stopped her attack, and Weiss fell backwards into the sand.

Nora let go of the blade, hands cut to the bone and spewing blood. She closed her eyes as her arms fell to the sand.

Blake moved to Weiss' side, laying down her weapons and taking Weiss' head into her hands. "Weiss, get up," Blake instructed, slapping the unconscious girl across the cheeks. When the heiress did not stir, she shouted, "Weiss! I can't fight Pyrrha by myself! I _need _you!"

The ice wall had done its job, but it was well on its way to total collapse. Blake looked back and saw that it was already melting, massive cracks chipping all about as Pyrrha continued to hack away at the wall. She'd break through any second.

Growling, Blake started to transfer her own aura to the unconscious woman.

"_Shoo… ooock,"_ Weiss groaned as she jolted awake. "Blake! Shock! She can shock! Lightning or electricity, she can-" Weiss fell silent as she saw that Nora had used up all of her aura. "Good work," she approved as Blake tried to help her to her feet, only to find herself dizzy.

"Didn't take that much from you?" Weiss hoped as she clumsily grabbed Myrtenaster, seeing Blake's shaky arms grab Gambol Shroud. She made a vane attempt to brush her frazzled hair, but her arm was too heavy.

"You... took… _a lot_," Blake managed, heart pounding as her body struggled to recover from the massive transfer.

Exploding through the tattered remains of the ice wall, Pyrrha made her dramatic final boss entrance.

Buying time for Weiss to get into position, Blake tried to switch to her pistol, only to feel her weapon jam and grind. "Sand in my weapon!" she shouted.

"Stick to the plan!" Weiss ordered, picking up the slack and aiming to douse Pyrrha in ice.

Pyrrha recognized Weiss' stance and crouched, ducking behind her shield and anticipating another flood of fire. She looked to her right, grimacing as she saw Nora lying face up in the sand, cooking under the merciless sun.

Everyone quickly saw that Myrtenaster wasn't firing.

"Nevermind!" Weiss panicked when she realized her weapon was also jammed with sand. "Change of plans!"

Blake almost spat in frustration but didn't wish to further dehydrate herself.

Peaking out from behind her shield, Pyrrha saw that Weiss wasn't fire; and Blake had kept Gambol Shroud in its sword mode. Team Monochrome had completely lost its ranged capabilities.

Despite the burning heat, Weiss formulated a plan. She used her whistle watch to signal to Blake, "You charge. I flank."

Standing up, Pyrrha recognized her newfound advantage and switched to her carbine.

Blake moved in with Weiss moving to flank, prompting Pyrrha to step back, sloshing through mud as melting ice mixed with sand. Blake put her shadow technique to good use, dodging Pyrrha's rapidfire and closing the distance. As she moved in to strike, Pyrrha held up her shield and switched to her spear. Refusing a direct confrontation, knowing that she would be outmatched, Blake moved around, trying to outflank her.

With Pyrrha's shield out of the way, Weiss aimed carefully and shakily rocketed in. She braced as Pyrrha turned her shield to face her, expecting a powerful, vibrating _**CLANK **_that would have dulled her blade.

Her eyes widened as her strike missed the hoplite entirely; Pyrrha practically side-stepped as Weiss shot past her. It was either an amateur mistake or an outside force, and Weiss was no longer an amateur. At least, in her opinion.

Weiss inadvertently left her back exposed, and Pyrrha took the opportunity to jam her own blade into Weiss' left leg before the girl went out of reach.

Shrieking, Weiss hobbled to Blake's side. "You wanna ask her why she aimed for my leg?!" Weiss sarcastically seethed as she knelt down in pain.

"Take off the armor!" Blake angrily demanded, wiping her brow in desperation. "It's slowing you down!"

"I'm not getting skewered!" Weiss replied as she defended herself, desperate for time. Her aura was the fastest at recharging, and she'd be able to keep this up longer than Pyrrha or Blake. She just needed time, and she knew that Blake would buy it for her.

Pyrrha risked a direct conflict, eyeing her two opponents with caution. Weiss was more dangerous, but Blake was weaker. Rushing towards Blake, she used her carbine to goad Weiss into using her glyph barrier to stop the bullets. Pyrrha closed the distance and finally engaged Blake, achieving her goal of making physical contact with Gambol Shroud.

Blake counter charged and swung hard, striking Pyrrha's shield with enough force to bring the hoplite to a stop. Blake leapt back as Pyrrha switched to her spear.

Blake prepared for another charge, but Pyrrha immediately turned and charged at Weiss. Blake pursued, pushing her aura to its limits under the unforgiving sun.

Weiss drew Myrtenaster orthogonal to her form and rocketed forward. A deep rage boiled as Pyrrha gracefully twirled out of Weiss' line of attack, missing the heiress's blade by inches. Weiss dug her boots into the sand, kicking up a storm as she ground to a halt and turned to face her enemy.

Simultaneously, as Weiss missed her target, Blake realized that this could not be a mistake on Weiss' part, not two times in a row.

Blake watched Weiss leave the combat zone and used her semblance to rendezvous with her.

"Attack pattern: bomber, black!" Weiss ordered.

Pyrrha slammed her boots into the mud, ending her twirl and assessing the situation. Monochrome had assumed their opening move. She lightly tossed her spear into the air and deliberately caught it underhanded.

Severely drained, Weiss transferred barely enough aura into her glyph to launch Blake, though it was at a slower speed and higher angle.

As Blake immediately left the ground, Pyrrha saw Weiss drawing Myrtenaster orthogonal to her form. Seeing the gambit in motion, she conceived an effective counter by hurling her shield at the fencer.

Weiss lost her balance and breath as she initially launched but had to bat the hard-hitting shield aside, delaying her strike as she stumbled to a halt.

Blake reached her zenith as Pyrrha pulled her throwing arm back, taking careful aim.

Weiss saw her partner high in the air and completely vulnerable. She raised her blade to focus her aura, summoning a support barrier in front of Blake.

Pyrrha hurled her spear with a mighty roar and effortlessly pierced the feeble glyph and **_slicing_ **into Blake's exposed torso.

Blake came splashing down into the mud. The blistering sun tore at her skin, her throat beyond dry. Adrenaline gave her enough strength to make one last push. Struggling to her knees, Blake saw the spear in her stomach and wrapped her right hand around the tip. Pulling it out, her hand immediately gushed. Blake barely realized that she had cut herself to the bone as her spirit finally gave out and fell to her side with a splash.

And then there were two.

Kneeling under the horrid sun, Weiss watched Pyrrha, waiting for her to go for the spear. She gasped for air as she diverted all of her aura to recharging and took some comfort from the icy, cold mud that filled her left boot.

Seeing that Weiss would make no counter offenses yet, Pyrrha staggered over to the unconscious Blake and took back her bloody, muddy spear.

"Surrender, Weiss!" Pyrrha demanded, breath ragged and hoarse. Red hair matted, sandy, and clinging to her blistered skin, Pyrrha reasoned, "You have lost the advantage! It's _**over!**_"

The audience watched in complete silence, many stunned at Pyrrha's capability of recovering the match from certain defeat.

This was not lost on Weiss as she continued to kneel. She refused to speak and focused on collecting herself.

Endlessly tormented from the sun, Pyrrha waited too long for a reply before realizing her lapse in judgement, eyes widening in horror.

Weiss leapt from the mud, rocketing forward with renewed force.

Pyrrha lacked the stamina to evade and flank again, and she lacked the strength to receive the charge head on, especially with her shield beyond her formidable reach.

Out of conventional options, Pyrrha thrust out her left hand and focused her remaining semblance on Weiss' prized segmentation armor and brought her to a shrieking halt as the armor began to fold in on itself.

Weiss fell to her knees in agony as her rib cage began to bend, Myrtenaster buried in mud. Her screaming fell silent as her lungs lost the room to expand.

Pyrrha pushed with her remaining strength, leaving her aura dangerously low.

Weiss went for the release switch in the armor's collar piece, making the segmented bands of metal recede into the top portion. Weiss was free to breathe and throw away the useless, deformed armor.

Pyrrha let go, kneeling and groaning in pain as she desperately pooled the remains her aura.

Weiss found herself with a sufficient amount of fight left in herself and grabbed Myrtenaster from the mud. "_**Polarity!"**_ she finally realized, anger growing for many reasons. "This _whole _time! You controlled polarity?!" she hoarsely wheezed as she trudged through the mud.

"This offends you, somehow?" Pyrrha ventured, slightly annoyed. She had hoped to end the battle now and ensure the survival of Nora and Blake. She couldn't figure out why Weiss was drawing this out and endangering the life of her own second-in-command.

Glaring, Weiss spat, "Luck forced you to partner with _**him!**_ What a cruel waste!"

Shaking her head, Pyrrha rose to her feet and proudly corrected her.

"It wasn't luck."

Weiss stopped dead in her muddy tracks, the rage of the sun now completely surpassed. In this rage, she found new strength.

Pyrrha switched to her short sword and prepared to fight. Reaching out again, she plucked Myrtenaster from Weiss' loosened hand, finally pushing the girl over the edge.

Weiss switched Gambol Shroud to her left hand and drew it orthogonal to her form.

Pyrrha, unfamiliar with Myrtenaster, tossed it to the mud as Weiss rocketed forward. Lacking aura for her semblance, Pyrrha charged to meet her, ready to win the match in sword-to-sword combat.

As Weiss came within a meter of Pyrrha, she channeled the very last of her aura into powering a dark snowflake barrier.

Pyrrha _slammed _into it, crashing into the mud and losing her sword.

Gambol Shroud, a thin blade designed for slashing, snapped at the hilt under the force of the repulsive glyph. Weiss immediately threw it aside and fell atop Pyrrha with unbridled rage.

The audience of over two-hundred thousand watched in silence as Weiss smashed her fists against Pyrrha, capitalizing on the hoplite's daze and beating the woman into submission.

Weiss let loose her wrath through each punch, clumsy and desperate. Pyrrha could not find the strength or spirit to block. As her arms lay in the mud, Weiss raised her own, clasping her fingers together and bringing them down in one final blow against Pyrrha's skull.

With all four auras in the critical zone, and one victorious survivor, the horn blared throughout the arena as the holographic sun dissipated and the temperature resumed at a normal level.

Weiss finally stopped, lightheaded, bruised, and beaten. She gladly fell off of Pyrrha and into the mud beside her. Looking to her personal adversary, Weiss croaked, "We would have been unstoppable."

Pyrrha couldn't reply.

The deafening silence reigned for a few moments before medical staff raced onto the scene to perform aura transfusions. As they brought three fighters back from the brink of death, the audience unleashed a satisfied applause.

Ruby and Yang gave it their all with clapping, cheering, whistling, and shrieking with pride. Ren remained silent, but he gave a firm, proud applause for his defeated team, as they had fought their hardest and nearly won. Field Marshal Qrow politely clapped.

The four fighters were able to rise to their feet, injuries healed as the staff rushed off the stage.

Queen Valens decided that their battle was the best she'd seen in this year's tournament so far. She continued to clap as she stood up, awarding the four fighters with an official Standing Ovation.

Seeing their queen rise, the massive crowd -along with an ecstatic Yang and Ruby- eagerly rose with her, amplifying their applause.

The sand and mud on the arena floor dematerialized, uncovering the cold, white marble. The sand and mud in the hunters' weapons, clothing, and hair remained.

Blake limped over to Weiss, muddy hair sticking to her back. Her aura was nearly recharged, and the damage undone, but the pain would endure for a while as her body would need time to balance biology with aura. "Impressive," she curtly remarked.

"We are," Weiss agreed with a smile as she wrung mud out of her ponytail.

Both drank in the view of two-hundred thousand people clapping and cheering for their victory. "You used the same tactic twice in the same match," Blake reprimanded with a growing scowl.

"I know," Weiss acknowledged as she maintained her smile for the cameras.

Blake refused to look at Weiss anymore. Instead, she looked to Pyrrha and Nora. Both were doing well enough and taking in the applause. Team Monochrome may have been victorious, but the arena gladly celebrated the skill of the vanquished. "I almost _died_," she seethed to her leader.

"_I know!"_ Weiss spat as her smile cracked.

No one would hear that conversation for years. Up in the stands, oblivious to the mounting tension below, Ren leaned over to Yang and humorously remarked, "They make a great pair."

Shaking her head, Yang sorrowfully laughed, "You have no idea, Ren."

Queen Valens ceased her clapping and began to move out, signaling for the rest of the crowd to cease as well. Her personal party of veteran hunters and scribes followed her behind stage.

"Come, girls!" Qrow called as he started to walk away. "It's time you get ready for the ceremony."

The sisters wished Ren the best of luck with his team as they left him in the stands. On their way down, walking past dozens of aisles, Ruby said again, "It's just so weird! There are a bunch of empty seats!"

Looking around with her sister, Yang casually remarked, "Huh, that is pretty weird, Ruby. This was a high-stake match, too."

"And is the gambler a winner today?" Qrow asked with a hint of humor in his tone as the crowd began to spill out of the arena for the restrooms and food courts.

Scoffing, Yang sighed, "Never bet against Weiss."


	13. IMMEDIATE FUTURE SCHEDULE- March 2016

Since it takes so long to post new chapters -and write stories in general in college- I will start leaving immediate future updates so that people know what to expect and when to expect it.

What comes next: I'll be writing part sixty-five of "Pollination". Expect that by the end of March-ish. I also want to finish a half-done "Life Is Strange" post-ending fic. Expect that around the middle of April-ish.

After that, I will be going back to the beginning of "Team WRBY" and editing in some big plot points. Summoning is a fun battle mechanic that I want to give to Weiss. It will start out as hints and evolve -much like in the actual show itself- as Weiss gets stronger/more experienced. I'll also add in a few scenes (probably 2, at most 3) for Qrow and Queen Valens, namely Valens' famous campaigns against the Grimm.

With that said, if you've read through this story's current draft, and you feel that Weiss is still Mary-Sue-ish, **NOW IS YOUR TIME TO TELL ME WHICH SCENES ARE AN ISSUE, AND YOU CAN PITCH ALTERNATIVE TAKES ON THEM. **I'm always open to feedback. As much as I enjoy writing my own stories, I don't want to turn into a George Lucas "Star Wars Prequels" disaster. With that said, I'm fine with malicious opinions but would _prefer_ that they contain actual solutions and not just "You suck, delete the story." I can't improve my writing if there isn't an actual conversation between minds.

Take care and have fun!

-knives4cash


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